Shade Fury: Tannski
by vangian13
Summary: Dragons. I'm sure you heard of them, giant flying lizards that breath fire or some other force of nature from their lungs. Well, here on Berk, dragons are capable of merging with one another to form bigger, stronger dragons. So Berk's resident Hiccup got more than he bargained for when he accidentally fuses with a Night Fury unironically named Toothless.
1. You've heard of Berk, Right?

**Incorporates material from Steven universe and inheritance cycle.**

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Berk.

I'm sure you've heard of the Viking island by now. But if you haven't, just sail along the meridian of misery until you pass hopelessness. If you reach freezing to death, you've gone too far. (Though how you could miss the island with the large mountain and the god-sized braziers is anyone's guess.)

In the event you survive the voyage, you may have noticed unusual creatures living in this part of the world. You probably even encountered a few winged reptiles flying around or swimming in the depths. (But those that journeyed too far probably missed those, too.) Some people call them wyrms or wyverns.

We call them dragons.

'Fwoooosh!'

"Augggggh! Hot, hot, hot, hot, HOT!" I slam the door shut on a billowing wall of flame. After a long moment in which I double-check to make sure I have not, in fact, been burned to a crisp I ease the door open just a crack. Good, it's gone.

My name's Hiccup, by the way. Parents believe that a hideous name. frighten off gnomes, trolls, and the occasional hobgoblin. At least those that haven't laughed themselves silly over the ridiculous things we name our children. Yet another reason I believe children should be allowed to name themselves. "Ithgar the Terrifying" sounds much more frightening than being named for an involuntary spasm.

Now, dragons are known for being able to spit fire, and occasionally lava, acid, or blasts of water so hot they boil you like a poached egg. But what you don-(oof)

I crash into a solid wall of muscle that screams,"AHHH!" while waving an ax around his head. In the next instant, he beams happily, shouts, "Mornin'," and toddles off in search of dragons instead of an undersized Viking.

Morning to you, too, Magnus. Great guy, Magnus, polite even during a raid.

Oh, meet the neighbors. Hoark the Haggard (dodges acid spit and bellows, "What are you doing out!?"

Burnthair the Broad shouts, "Get inside!"

Phlegma the Fierce stops trying to tug a sheep out of a Gronckle's jaws to scowl at me. "Get back inside!"

Now, where was I? Oh yes, dragons have thi-

"HICCUP! What is he doin' ou- what are you doing out?! Get inside!" A large hand the size of my head grabs the back of my tunic and hoists me off the ground like a kitten. I heave a quiet sigh and let myself dangle. So close.

(Ahem) The gentleman with the fabulous beard and the kilt covered in gem shards is Stoick the vast. Chief of the tribe. They say that when he was a baby he popped a dragon's head clean off its shoulders. (I asked him about it once, but he modestly told me he was seven when that happened.) He puts me down and gives an ungentle shove in another direction. Obediently I scamper away, knowing that he is watching and scowling at every step I take.

As I make my way to the forge, my path is blocked by a gecko-like dragon the size of a cart with five glowing gemstones that I can see on its front. Strange, a fusion of that size usually consists of at least eight Terrors. An ax flies past my head and smashes into the largest gemstone. The resulting burst of smoke where the dragon used to be releases nine smaller versions of the gecko-like dragon which fly from the vapor cloud. Once the smoke clears the ax used to disperse the thing can be seen lying on the ground.

"Cursed fusion," grumbles the shield maiden who tossed it. (Thanks for the save, Mrs. Ack) Oh, I should also mention that dragons have these gem-like organs growing somewhere on the surface of their bodies. That particular dragon, (a breed we call Terrible Terrors), was made of several individuals of the species. That lovely ability and the breath weapons they wield are both supposedly due to the gem each dragon possess. It's why, when fighting dragons, you target their gem. Because they are greatly hindered without it. (Plus they make excellent trophies. Not to mention when thrown in a fire it looks like the Bifrost.)

I dive into the smithy before anything else can interrupt me.

"Oh, nice of you to join the party, I thought you'd been carried off," the blacksmith says in my general direction. He is a stout (by Viking standards) man with a prosthetic hand, a peg leg, and a gem shard in place of a missing tooth. (Claims it's from a Boneknapper. But that's another story.) I've been his apprentice since I was banned from the fire brigade. (How was I supposed to know that bucket was full of nightmare saliva? Why was there a bucket full of nightmare saliva lying around in the first place?) Speaking of the fire brigade, here they come: Fishlegs(roleplayer), Snotlout(typical Viking), the twins Ruffnut(first priest of Loki), and Tuffnut(second priest of Loki) and… okay, I'm not sure if Astrid saw the dragon who thought that framing her in a sexy ball of fire was a good idea, but she just went with it. Unfortunately, the image is interrupted by the remaining members of the fire brigade. Man, I wish I could join them.

"Don' even think about it, Hiccup."

"Please," I beg. "Just two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date." I blink hopefully at the burly blacksmith Viking. Gobber's always been a soft touch. He practically raised me when Dad was too busy being chief to notice his puny offspring.

Gobber begins counting on his remaining hand. "You can't lift a hammer, you can't swing an ax, you can't even through throw a bola. If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all…" Gobber gestures in my general direction. "...this."

I frown. "You just gestured to all of me."

"Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you."

"Oh." So not fair. I resist the urge to pout like a toddler

"Oh, yeah."

I straighten to the fullest of my unremarkable height. "You, sir, are playing a dangerous game, keeping this much raw, vikingness contained. There will be consequences!" I admonish.

"I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now." Gobber hands me a broadsword, which I take to the grindstone.

But one day I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon means everything on Berk.

A few Terrible Terror gems should get me at least noticed. Gronckles are tough, taking down one of those will get me at least a few friends. The gem of a Deadly Nadder is the perfect gift for a girlfriend. A Zippleback fusion? Exotic! Each head multiplies one's status.

Then, there's the Monstrous Nightmare, with most of their body fluids being flammable, only the best Vikings target them. A hissing sound, like water dripped on hot coals, followed by a roar of fury draws my attention out the window. Oh, Stoick is taking on one atop the catapult.

But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one's ever seen, we call it the-

"NIGHT FURY!"

Someone yells, "Get down!"

Both Stoick and the Monstrous Nightmare fling themselves off of the catapult seconds before it is blasted apart by an explosion of purple fire.

This thing never steals food, never shows itself, and-

'BOOM! Woosh!'

-Never misses.

Nobody in recorded history has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I intend to become the first.

"Man the fort, Hiccup, they need me out there," Gobber says, exchanging his smith's hammer for a warrior's ax.

Possibly remembering his part-time paternal duties, he pauses and frowns at me. "Stay. Put. There." He growls in frustration "You know what I mean. AHHHH!" As my mentor charges into battle, I scramble to unearth a project of mine I've dubbed The Mangler. I won't bother explaining it because that will just jinx things. (Plus the phrase show don't tell applies quite well here.) I grab the handles of my contraption and begin wheeling it through the village. Several Vikings shout at me. I decide to just ignore them and head to a portion of the village that is not overflowing with combat. On the way, I see Stoick throw a fishing net over a Nadder with three gems on its surface. Stoick lands on the fusion's head to keep it from breathing fire.

I reach the cliff overlooking the smoking catapult and drop The Mangler's handles to the ground. I crank several levers, unfolding and then cocking the bowed arms of The Mangler. I drop a bola into a chamber and then pivot the weapon on a gimbal toward the dark sky.

"Come on," I mutter, scanning the spangled night. "Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at."

Is that? Yep, while I can't see the dragon, it's silhouette is definitely blotting out the stars. Oh, there's it's trademark whistle. Pointing the bola towards the catapult, I wait for the-

NOW!

I pull the trigger and as the bola is launched, I'm flung to the ground by the vicious recoil. I can almost hear the heavy thud as the bola wraps itself around the beast's body. The Night Fury shrieks and, once the cliff stops spinning, I'm able to see something fall out of the sky towards the forest.

Stunned, I stare at the spot where the dragon disappeared for several seconds. I punch the air in victory. " I hit it,! YES! I hit it! Did anybody see that!"

'Crunch'

I flinch and slowly turn around, desperately hoping to not see what I was sure I was about to see. A Monstrous Nightmare perches atop the shattered remnants of The Mangler, the one invention that finally worked. Why me? "Except for you." I raise my hands in a pacifying gesture. The dragon does not look impressed. Time to change tactics.

"AAAHHHHHHH!" I run to hide behind one of the torch pillars just as the Nightmare spits out a flaming loogie.

'Slap, Blam, cough' I hear someone taking on the dragon. "You're all out."

Oh no, I'm in for it now.

'Thud'

The pillar I'm hiding behind collapses. The brazier atop the pillar begins tumbling into the village. It ends up striking the Nadder fusion, dispersing it and letting the smaller, individual Nadders wiggle out from under the net and use it to carry away sheep.

"Sorry, Dad." Stoick doesn't look like he's ready to forgive me for yet another Hiccup-caused mistake. In fact, he looks like he's an inch from feeding me to the Monstrous Nightmare that tried to eat me earlier.

I remember my accomplishment right then. " Okay, but I hit a Night Fury." Stoick grabs me by the back of my collar and hauls me away, fuming with embarrassment. "It's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean I really actually hit it," I pant as I stumble along, trying to keep up with his Viking-sized strides. "You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there before it-"

"STOP! Just...stop." He releases me. Everyone falls silent, staring expectantly. A few even look faintly embarrassed for me. Here we go. "Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed!" It's the same speech I hear every time I mess up.

I look around. All eyes are upon me. Welp, I'm already in trouble, might as well dig the hole a little deeper "Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don'tcha think?" A few of the more rotund Vikings stir self-consciously.

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup!" Stoick barks. He stops and makes an effort to bring himself under control. Hah! Like I couldn't tell by the throbbing vein in his forehead that I was headed for the worst grounding of my life. "Why can't you follow the simplest orders?"

"Well, killing a dragon seems to be the only thing that will get you to notice me. If you know a better way I can get you to acknowledge my existence, I'm all ears." I stand there, waiting for my dad's comeback.

He just sighs as his face falls into familiar lines of disappointment. "You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them."I glance around, hoping for just one look of support, but all I see are resigned nods of agreement "Get back to the house. Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up." This last part is directed at the village at large as Stoick lumbers off in the opposite direction.

Gobber leads me through the walk of shame. We are graced by the teen fire brigade and their snickering commentary,which I try to ignore.

Tuffnut looks mildly impressed, but then the twins thrive on disaster. "Quite the performance." I can never be entirely sure if he is serious or not.

"I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!" Snotlout chimes in, gaze darting around to the other members of the brigade to make sure they notice how clever he is. He has never been able to resist the chance to rub my nose in my mistakes.

"Thank you, thank you, I was trying." Luckily Gobber is nice enough to shove him away.

As we near my house, I decide to see if Gobber believes me. "I really did hit one."

"Sure, Hiccup."

"He never listens."

"Well, it runs in the family. "

"And when he does, it's always with this... disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich." I deepen my voice to mimic my father. "Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fishbone." At this point, we are just going through the motions.

Gobber has never been able to understand what the problem is, but he tries. "You're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like. It's what's inside that he can't stand."

Gobber, I love you, but you are terrible at pep talks. His attempts always make me feel worse.

"Thank you, for summing that up." As I open the door, Gobber tries to fix the situation.

"Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not."

I'm ready to just give up trying to explain. Nobody will ever understand. Instead, I just sigh. "I just want to be one of you guys." Gobber eyes me with sympathy. Once I'm in my house, I run upstairs to grab my notebook and a charcoal pencil. After pocketing these items, I'm out the door, searching for my prize.

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**I've had this idea in my head for a while. **

**This came up with my ****editor, the reason the Terrible Terror appeared to have five gems but made of nine terrors was because Hiccup could not see four of the gems.**

**Please review, and if you must criticize, please make it constructive.**


	2. Trapped

**Apparently I'm obligated to say ****this, but it should be obvious nobody on this site owns How To Train Your Dragon, the franchise and characters belong to Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks. Let's just be grateful they are flattered when we use their characters the way we do.**

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Hurt. Pain. Stop. Stop! STOP!

That's the last thing I remember before blacking out and waking up tangled in two-legs big-horns strong-vines. Everything hurts, but a glance at my chest tells me that my memory stone remains undamaged. Good. That means I still have access to my soul fire. I raise my head slightly, squinting against the throbbing in my skull.

A trail of destruction marks my descent to the earth. Broken branches, shredded foliage, and deep grooves plowed into the dirt lead to where I am now lying. Every small movement sends stabs of agony through my battered body. I can feel several stinging cuts lacing my skin, as well as a few deep lacerations. An incautious move leaves me gasping with renewed pain. Just as I feared, at least one rib is broken. My wings are undamaged, but my tail feels like somebody tried to chop it off. I decide to begin healing my surface wounds first with one of the spells the Queen-

Wait!

Why can't I hear the Queen? Where is she?

I vibrate the sensory organs on my head to pick up on her call (or any dragon for that matter) but nothing. There's no dragon within reach of my sonar.

Does this mean she thinks I'm dead? Did she abandon me?

No! I cannot think like that, I went down; she must be devastated. But I'm still alive! I just need to make some repairs and soon I'll be back-

SNAP!

WHACK!

"Ow!"

-What was that? Sniffing the air, I pick up notes of pine, charcoal, and metal! A two-legs! This is bad!, Maybe if I lie perfectly still it won't find me. Go away, annoying big-h-

Something stumbles out of the undergrowth. It recoils, bleating in surprise.

I tense for a moment, but then relax. What's the use. Maybe I should give up. I'm damaged. My Queen won't want me back. Every dragon must pull his own weight. She may have considered me one of her favorites, but she doesn't tolerate imperfection. I close my eyes, a low rumble of disappointment escaping me.

I hear the sound of grinding metal and the two-legs big-horns uttering declares something in its own language. It sounds like a silly young fluffy four-leg, bleating high-pitched strings of nonsense. I can't tell what it's saying. Maybe it's excited. Or gassy. I'm not sure. It puts its surprisingly small foot on my leg, acting like I'm its prize. It bleats again but the voice somehow sounds less certain. I tense for the final blow.

No! It can't end like this! She promised!

In a desperate lunge, I grab for the leg, but the two-legs big-horns is too quick and springy and jerks away before I can snatch anything. These two-legs strong-vines don't help either.

I open my left eye to get an idea of what kind of two-legs big-horns I'm dealing with. What I see is not what I expected.

I'm expecting the usual type of two-legs, large and solid with legs the size of tree trunks and beefy arms that can choke a sharp-quills Nadder. Every member of the race I've seen also sports a pair of horns, making them seem larger and more dangerous. Plus they are part of their namesake. This thing in front of me is thin, lanky, and the only thing on his head is a mop of hair that can't decide if it is red or brown. I wonder how a male this frail could have thrown the vines that entangled me. Then it hits me! This is a young two-legs, not even full grown, and a puny one at that. So how could he have the strength to bring me down?

But when I look into his eyes, I understand immediately. His eyes lack the mad hatred I have seen over and over again in his kind. He looks surprised, but also determined and a little sad. I never knew two-leg eyes could convey so much. This young two-legs, he is clearly an intelligent individual. He must have built something similar to the rock-throwers, capable of shooting me down from the sky. If it weren't for the fact that he intends to kill me, I would probably take the chance to learn more about this hornless two-legs. As the lanky two-legs sharp-eyes lifts his blade, he turns toward my head and looks me in the eye.

I don't speak two-legs, but maybe an individual this unusual will understand. '_Mercy,'_ I beg with my stare. The two-leg's arms begin to slacken, maybe he- nope, he will go through with it. I close my eyes and wait for the killing blow.

It never comes..

SNAP!

What? My eyes snap open when I feel the vines loosening. Doing my best to look at the two-legs sharp-eyes, I realized he is sawing away at the vines. What is he doing? Why is he going to set me free?

Had he heard my plea?

Once the vines are loosened enough, I jump and pin the small two-legs to the moss-covered boulder behind him. The small body under my talons is tense, but he doesn't struggle. Instead, he seems to be waiting for something. Maybe the same sort of mercy he showed to me. His panicked breathing quickly slows as he looks me in the eyes, realizing our rolls just reversed. This two-legs adolescent manages to spot me on a moonless night and somehow create a weapon capable of such accuracy as to bring me down from the sky. It doesn't matter how big those other two-legs big-horns are, this one has learned to do things none of the others have since I began assisting in the raids. This two-legs sharp-eyes is the biggest threat to the Queen and her subjects. I should end this threat here and now.

So why can't I?

This two-legs sharp-eyes may be a threat, but he spared me. Me! I always see how the other two-legs cower as I discharge my plasma shots. He must know how much my memory stone would be worth in his nest. Yet he let me go. I feel I must offer the same courtesy. I can easily keep an eye on him during the raids and instruct other dragons to do the same.

It doesn't mean I'm not still angry with him. So, to ensure he never tries to shoot me down again, I roar as loud as I can right into his face. I then jump back and take flight in the opposite direction. But, in my distraction, I forgot that my tail had been injured. My flight is less than glorious as I bump into a rock, bounce off some trees, and fall muzzle first into a lake. I can only hope that the skinny two-legs is too confused by not becoming dragon chow to notice. On the bright side, the cool water soothes the scrapes from my fall. After swimming to shore, I begin a proper damage assessment to figure out what's going on and am shocked when I look at my tail.

Or rather, what remains of it.

A thorough inspection shows that the left side of my tailfin has been torn away. I'm not even sure the healing techniques the Queen had me learn from the other memory stones are even capable of repairing damage like this. I won't know until I get back to her. The best thing to do will be to find some high ground where I can get in contact with other members of the flock. Then I will hopefully be taken back to the Queen, who will find a way to fix my tailfin.

Since I can't fly, I will just have to walk until I am high enough that I can contact the others. Over an hour of increasingly frantic searching brings me right back to where I started. My worst fears have been realized. I'm trapped! Desperately I try to fly out anyway, but my damaged tail won't let me. The imbalance causes me to constantly fall short of the canyon lip.

Since I'm unable to escape my current confines, I concur that the best thing that can be done at this moment is to continue repairing the injuries from the fall and seal the wound on my tail.

As I draw on my soul fire, I decide that I should try to figure out how the lanky two-legs sharp-eyes spotted me. I focus further on the crescent-shaped stone on my chest to figure out what happened. Images of last night's raid flash across my eyes. It started like most other raids. The Terror fusions were locating the sources of food. The rock-eaters Gronckles and sharp-quills Nadders snatched fish and sheep while the partners-of-life Zippleback fusions and self-burning Nightmares went for the larger prey. When the two-legs big-horns began using the mounted rock throwers, I came in and blasted the towers they were mounted on to splinters. I indulged myself as it was only one of two feasible targets this night. After playing target practice with the first rock thrower, I flew over to the other tower. There were no two-legs big-horns or dragons on it, but I was bored. Charging up my plasma with a boost from my soul fire, I obliterated the tower. I felt quite proud of this one, so I looped around it, admiring my handiwork. There! The two-legs sharp-eyes must have seen my silhouette in that brief instant and shot me out of the sky. Well, isn't that humbling, my hubris used against me. Then, with my wings bound, I fell into the forest. I stopped the flashbacks before the memory of the pain was inflicted on me again. Once was enough, thank you very much!

Once the worst of the scrapes I suffered have been closed up, my bones mended, and the threat of infection is gone, I cut off the flow of soul fire. I'm not sure how long I'll be in this canyon and I will need to ration my remaining strength so any nearby dragons can carry a message to the Queen for help. In the meantime, I crawl under an outcropping to sleep. But while I try to go to sleep, the small two-legs sharp-eyes that shot me down keeps coming to mind. Did he realize my tail was damaged? Did he intend for me to get trapped like this? He is obviously more intelligent than the average two-legs. Maybe he thought he could somehow make me pay by putting me in this natural prison; with the sky just out of reach, taunting me. I remember one of the first lessons taught to me by the memory stones. A two-legs will always go for the kill. At first, I thought this boy was an exception. I guess I was wrong. But how could he have known I would be trapped in this canyon. Questions about the two-legs sharp-eyes keep piling up one after another until the weight of the quagmire gives me a headache.

I sigh and firmly push these thoughts away. I need my sleep. These are questions I can debate with myself tomorrow while I wait for potential messengers.

* * *

**So if some people couldn't tell, I'm trying a different approach to the Red Death. In just about every story I've read, the dragons either hate the Red Death, or are under mind control.**

**guest: thank you, I will keep that in mind.**


	3. First Fusion

**Chapter three, it's here where things take a turn from the original plot.**

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"Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on!" Astrid scolds me for my latest blunder. The Nadder that had been chasing us around for most of our dragon training session had looked more confused than angry. It reminded me of the intelligence and emotion I had seen in the Night Fury's eyes. Unfortunately, my preoccupation caused me to stand there like a doofus and Gobber had to save my hide. Again. Astrid had been forced to dodge around me and missed her swing.

"Alrecht, evr' one except Hiccup an' Astrid will be helpin' me clean up th' arena today," Gobber announces to the class

"Wait, why does Hiccup not have to clean up the arena? I understand Astrid but why him?" Snotlout glances at Astrid and before sneering at me. He would be the last one to admit that he has a slight crush on her. Luckily, Astrid is as oblivious to his interest as she is to mine.

"Hiccup has work t' do in th' forge today, we've gotten backed up as th' only two blacksmiths are stuck here an' Ah am th' only one tha' knows where these walls go." Gobber gestures to the walls of the maze. The other four trainees groan as they begin putting away the maze walls.

As Astrid and I make our way to the village, I'm flooded by a sudden rush of courage. "Hey, Astrid, is there any chance you could help me with dragon training?" Astrid pauses and looks back at me. Her face has this odd look, a cross between impatience with my proven ineptitude and curiosity about my sudden interest in improving.

"I'll think about it." Astrid hefts her ax from one shoulder to the other and jogs into the forest, probably to practice ax throwing.

Since Gobber made the forge excuse for me I figured I might as well get some work done. I look at the pile of weapons that need repair. The crate contains only a sword and half a dozen axes that need sharpening. I won't bother questioning Gobber's reasoning for having me sent over to the forge when there is so little work that needs to be done and get to work sharpening the weapons. When I put one of the ax heads on the grindstone, I'm simultaneously trying to convince myself that what I plan to do involving a feral, pissed off, and hungry Night Fury isn't utterly insane.

Unfortunately, my time in the forge is not enough to convince me that walking into the canyon of a Night Fury that hasn't eaten in days with a fish in my hand is a good idea. It might as well be the appetizer for the main course: me.

Whelp, no time like the present. I stop by one of the storehouses and snag the largest fish I can carry, (which isn't saying much.) I also stop by my house to grab a shield and make my way into the woods towards Raven Point.

I'm not sure if this dragon is willing to accept my help, but I need to try. (Plus, it's not like I have anything better to do.)

* * *

I vent my anger for the latest failure at healing my tail by firing a blast of plasma at the dirt. None of the techniques the Queen had me learn were of any use. Plus my soul fire is running dangerously low, and scorching an innocent piece of ground is not helping. I need some food soon, like sea-pray. Maybe a no-spines, ooohhh what I wouldn't do for a tasty, mouth-watering-

SPLAT!

SEA-PRAY! I almost jump for the delectable delight, but I manage to stop myself. Where did this tempting morsel come from? Could it be a trap? There is only one creature that knows where I am. That puny bleating Two-legs sharp-eyes, whom is the reason I am stuck here in the first place. Thinking quickly, I hide behind a boulder, observing the direction from whence it came. From the crevice in the wall (that I'm too small to fit through. Believe me, I've tried) walks the young two-legs that shot me down. It attempts to tug free a slab of wood and metal that gets wedged in the gap, a shell I think it's called, but it is stuck fast. After giving up on removing the shell, he picks up the sea-pray by the gills and wanders through the canyon, looking for something, probably me. As the two-legs sharp-eyes stalks past the rock I'm hiding behind, I make my move.

I slink down the boulder, but my semi-starvation has made me clumsy. My claw scrapes against the rock. The young two-legs whirls to face me. His puny paws clench spasmodically, clutching the tasty fish to his skinny chest. Maybe I can make him drop it. I growl. The two-legs sharp-eyes, immediately corrects his mistake and stretches out the arm holding the fish.

Giving this oddball two-legs a chance, (plus motivated by hunger) I stalk towards him one cautious step at a time. my nose picks up the scent of salt, pine, smoke, and-

Wait! Is that metal?

I glance down at his thigh, and jump back into a pouncing stance when I see the glint of a weapon. Two-legs are soft things, without the natural armor and weapons of a dragon. They have overcome this deficit by arming themselves with sharp bits of metal that hurt when thrown or slashed. Normally I would just fly or run away, or blast him to cinders, but I really want that fish. The two-legs sharp-eyes, proving that he is as intelligent as I thought quickly realizes what the problem is and drops the blade to the ground. I'm kind of surprised (and impressed) when he lifts the blade atop his hind paw and tosses it into the lake. My expression, induced by shocked curiosity, must have reassured the boy in some way. He relaxes. This time, he holds the sea-pray with both forepaws towards me. A few sniffs to check that he is now weaponless, I inch forward so I'm now a foot away from that slimy, salty, scaley…

Oh for the love of the Queen, just give me the sea-pray already! I unsheathe my teeth to snatch the sea-pray from the boy's paws. I bite and swallow the two halves, It feels so good to have something in my stomach again. I feel even more relief as my soul fire begins recharging. I glance back at the two-legs sharp-eyes in front of me, I now have a chance to satisfy my curiosity. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to understand that I have no intention of eating him and has backed himself against a large rock. As loathe as I am to do this, it seems I must show him that I'm not intending to eat him. I tug on my throat muscles and regurgitate half of the sea-pray into his lap.

He must be so grateful to me for sharing my food in this state.

* * *

I'm not sure what I was expecting when the Night Fury backed me up against a boulder. But I did not expect it to regurgitate half the fish into my lap. After depositing the thing in my lap, the dragon sits on its haunches in front of me, waiting.

I stare at it. It stares back at me, an expectant look in its eyes. Feeling awkward and a little self-conscious I drop my gaze from its face and study the rest of the dragon. This is the closest I have ever been to one that is still alive and not trying to eat me. My attention is quickly drawn to the gem on its chest. A steady purple glow is emanating from the gem, but what I find baffling is the unusual crescent shape of the thing.

The Night Fury makes a sound and I drag my attention back to its eyes. The dragon looks down at the fish in my lap and back to my face. It swallows and shuffles a little closer. I suddenly understand what the dragon wants me to do, but I don't like it.

Screwing up my face I take a bite. It is gross, the regurgitated fish. It tastes… fishy, but also oddly rich and spicy. Trying not to gag, I smile and nod, planning to spit out the fish when the dragon loses interest. But when the Night Fury makes a swallowing motion, I conclude that the slimy texture of the fish does not make the bizarre taste any better. I do a full-body shudder that the dragon in front of me imitates. Not sure why I smile, but the way the Night Fury tries to copy it is oddly… adorable.

Thinking the toothless smile is an invitation, I put the fish down and reach towards it-him, but I misread the situation. He unsheathes his teeth with a growl and retreats to the other side of the canyon.

Not ready to give up, I walk around the pond towards… Toothless? Yeah, Toothless is a good name for him. (Hey, you remember what I said about Berkian naming customs.)

* * *

Thanks to the sea-pray, even half of one, I'm feeling a little better. He follows me for a while, but a little growling and showing of teeth finally convinces him to keep his distance. While my belly is nowhere near full, I decide that it is more important to sleep than to burn precious energy trying to catch my own sea-pray. But now I have enough reserves to indulge myself a little. Finding a nice patch of ground, I heat the dirt with a steady stream of plasma. After getting quite comfortable, my attention is drawn to a song-bird in the branches above me. The lucky bird is just another reminder of my crippled state.

What the? When did you get there? The two-legs sharp-eyes is sitting there with his forelegs in a bizarre contortion. He does this upward motion with his forepaw and bares his teeth in that odd non-threatening way. While I am grateful for the sea-pray I'm not in the mood to indulge him. Hoping he'll take the hint, I use the remains of my tail to make a screen between the two of us. But he doesn't seem to be taking the hint. Hearing him scooting forward, I lift my tail out of the way. There he is. Seeing my annoyed expression has him quickly stand up and walk away awkwardly.

I climb up to one of the low-hanging branches so the two-legs sharp-eyes cannot reach me. It's a shame I wasted that power heating the ground.

* * *

When Toothless hangs from one of the tree branches out of my reach, I decide to pause my efforts on that front and let him take his nap. With nothing better to do, I spend some time trying to remove the shield from where it's stuck. I'm not sure how long it takes, but the sky has a noticeable change in hue when I finally get the Loki-cursed thing unstuck.

With nothing better to do, I begin drawing in the dirt. It takes me a moment to decide what to draw, but I ultimately decide on drawing the canyon's other occupant. I momentarily freeze up when the very thing I am drawing stands behind me while I am outlining his head. Deciding not to let Toothless's presence bother me, I continue drawing his chin and lower jaw. (I'm pretty sure he is purring like a cat while I draw him.) I am just finishing drawing the perplexing gem on his chest and am adding more detail to his eyes when I hear something snap behind me.

I turn around and am… perplexed? No, that's not it. How about disbelieving? I suppose disbelieving will work since I am currently watching the Night Fury I've dubbed Toothless drawing… something in the dirt on the shore of the pond.

* * *

I am utterly captivated by the two-legs sharp-eyes's activity. As he makes various strokes in the dirt with a branch, I slowly realize what he is making an imitation of. It is the same thing I see whenever I'm looking into the water: me! He is making me!

Maybe I can try making him in the dirt as he did for me. Looking around the canyon, I spot a shrub that will suit my needs. Getting on my hind legs (much like the two-legs in question) I walk over to the tree and pull it from its roots with my teeth; the snap of the tree trunk echoes across the canyon. With the shrub in my jaws, I drag the end across the ground, attempting to create a likeness of the boy. A curve here, a circle there, a curve for the indent on his cheek. Done!

It's not as good as his, but for my first creation, I think I did a pretty good job!

* * *

I'm not sure what Toothless is trying to draw, but I am nonetheless captivated by him drawing it. He is so immersed in the activity his gem starts glowing. (I hope that's because he's happy.) He glances at me partway through, doing his gummy smile despite the branch in his mouth before ending one line in a curve. Then he shakes his head and slaps me (accidentally or not, I'm not sure) upside the head with the leafy end of the shrub. I stand up to get a better look at his work at the same time he drops the trunk. Nodding to himself (I had no idea he knew what that meant,) he lets out a satisfied purr.

* * *

I feel proud of the two-legs head I made in the dirt. The model is curious about it as well. But while he is looking he steps on a line.

What do you think you are doing, boy?! My growl makes him flinch and look down. Realizing his dreadful blunder, he lifts his hind paw from the groove in the dirt.

Good two-legs, I purr. Unfortunately, he puts his paw down again, I growl. He lifts it and sets it down again.

Are you trying to incur my wrath, puny two-legs! I growl out more threateningly. He seems to get the idea this time, standing next to the line instead of on it. Good two-legs.

* * *

Confirming Toothless doesn't want me stepping on any lines, I slowly make my way out of the maze he drew. I feel I am having more fun with this than I should be. My eyes are kept down to earth, weaving between lines drawn by a Night Fury.

There's a snort right behind me and something breathes down my neck. Toothless is right there, barely a foot away.

* * *

The boy is right here, easily within touching distance. Yet I don't feel I'm in any sort of danger. He reaches out to me. I flinch, lightly growling.

Not yet, boy.

* * *

He doesn't trust me just yet. I seriously hope I don't regret this. I lift my hand and turn away, saying something any creature can understand.

I trust you.

* * *

That's what the boy is saying. He trusts me. I can't! Can I? This two-legs sharp-eyes is probably my best chance of escape. So I respond in kind.

I trust you.

* * *

I feel something warm and scaly touch my palm.

* * *

My forehead touches the boy's paw.

* * *

"What happened?" I ask myself.

"Why are my clothes so tight?"

What are clothes?

"Wait, am I taller?"

I look at my paws. My hands are tipped with claws for some reason. Why are my fingers so long?

What am I?

… Who am I?!

Two-legs sharp-eyes Hiccup? No, that's not it.

Night-wing crescent-heart Toothless? Who is Toothless?

I make my way over to the pond, hoping to solve this confusion. I'm not sure what I am expecting, but this is shocking nonetheless. I'm not sure how to describe it visually, but there is one word that encompasses what I- what we've become: a fusion.

We're a fusion.

* * *

**I decided to change the name because I don't think people understand what I'm trying to portray in this story. If people prefer the old name I'll change it back.**

**Someone please review, it feels like nobody is reading this.**


	4. Atonement

**Glad to see people interested. if you have any thoughts or suggestions Review or send a private message.**

* * *

I step back from the visage I see in the lake, baffled by the… the thing I see in the water.

"So this is-"

Panicked, I release the energy stored in the memory stone and the fusion shatters.

* * *

After the fusion, MY fusion, disperses, I crawl back to the canyon's exit. I don't know what happened, but my only desire is to get away from it before it happens again.

_'Confusion, discomfort, wonder.'_

I let out an undignified yelp and collapse on the ground as strange feelings wash over me. I'm not sure how, but somehow, I can tell that is what Toothless thinks at me at the moment; it's like he is projecting his emotions in my general direction.

Almost as soon as I pick up on the emotions, Toothless breaks the connection and runs back to his corner on the other side of the canyon. He leaps into a tree and hides himself in his wings, seeming as shaken by what happened as I am.

Picking myself up from the ground, I stumble out of the canyon. My brain keeps replaying the strange fusion over and over on an endless loop. I can't seem to make it stop. I really hope I haven't broken it. It's the best thing I have going for me. But, for now, I just need to get home. I've done enough today. We both need to think about what happened.

* * *

It hurts, and the separation feels forced. I'm left panting with fear and a little pain, staring at this creature I should never have been able to fuse with. It's not even a dragon!

How? Why? How is it possible I fused with a human? Human? Another word for two-legs? Word? What kind of things did I- we think of in our fusion? No, Oh no no no! What will the Queen think? I've fused with a hu- two-legs! A fusion formed between different types of dragons is said to be impossible, let alone between two different species. So how did we fuse? I peer between my wings at the human who is running away as fast as his legs can take him. He keeps looking back at me, but after bouncing off a couple of trees and tripping over a rock, he decides to watch where he is going. I don't understand it.I swear he is just as shocked as I am by the situation. Was this his first time fusing to? Can humans even fuse in the first place? Probably not, considering how much panic he is emitting.

Hold on, since when can I pick up on two-leg emotions? Can he sense mine? All this useless worrying is giving me a headache. I stop emitting emotions temporarily and wrap myself firmly in my wings so I can get some much-needed rest. It has been a long day.

* * *

I'd hoped my mental state would fix itself by the time I made it home. Nope, I'm still freaking out. Not wanting anyone to see me like this, I enter my house through the back door. Luckily, Dad is on another nest hunt and Gobber is probably at the smithy. Plopping myself down in a chair next to the hearth, I try to relax. I'm scratching my forehead, trying to figure out what to do when something grabs my attention.

'_Distress'_

When I feel the emotion I freeze up. Did Toothless send that? Or did another dragon call for help?

'_Bargain' _

This time I look to the mantle above the fireplace, where my dad's trophies are kept. My attention is drawn to an oval cyan gem with a four-cut facet. I remember Dad saying that this gem came from a Windstriker.

'_Teach, bargain, distress.'_

Bargain? Is there a dragon still alive in there?! I wonder if I can communicate with it? I was able to hear Toothless's emotions. Perhaps I can do the same with this gem.

I get up, pick up the gem from the mantle, and sit back down. How to do this? The gem did seem to want a trade, perhaps I can try and project my emotions towards it. What emotions would a gem understand? Does a gem without a dragon even have emotions? I find that I have been staring at the gem for several minutes as if it might grow teeth and bite me. Cautiously, I focus and try to convey willingness and a wary curiosity.

Unfortunately, my concentration is interrupted by my pseudo-parent.

"Oi, Hiccup! ye in there?"

Startled by the knock, I quickly return the gem to the mantle and head for the door. Gobber is standing there, beaming at me as if I hadn't been attempting something most of the tribe would consider crazy and worthy of banishment. Or at least being locked up for the rest of my life.

"Ye okay, laddie? ye seem frightful."

I probably look like I've seen a ghost. Gobber looks concerned and on the edge of offering to help. This I don't need! His idea of help is to dose me with home remedies like his granny used to prescribe. I'm not in the mood to try and choke down a foul brew that smells like dirty socks and tastes like rancid seaweed. I need an excuse and fast!

"I was trying to figure out where I went wrong earlier and fix it!" Nailed it.

Gobber's concern seems to ebb away, "don't worry abit it, laddie. a'Lotta folk makes mistakes, yours jist hev larger… consequences."

I want to roll my eyes or smack myself repeatedly in the face. Instead I just sigh. "Is there something you wanted, Gobber?"

He gives me a funny look. "Don' tell me ye forgot? Ev'ryone's waitin' fer us at th' tower I'll be tellin' some of me own tales o' dragons an' gems." He waits for a bit, but when I still don't look too thrilled says, "We got chicken."

…Gobber, you still need to work on your motivational speeches. "Let's just go to the tower."

* * *

I try to ignore the thoughts of my messed up life by listening to Gobber talk about his messed up life. Right now he is in the middle of the story where he lost both his hand and his leg, and not even to the same dragon. Unfortunately, one can only pay attention to the same story so many times before they lose focus.

Now I'm stuck scratching my forehead on the more concerning topic of my accidental fusion and the draconic pathokinesis which I've developed.

Thankfully my loutish cousin knocks me out of my internal monologue. "I swear I'm so angry right now! I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs and gems of every dragon I fight. With my face."

* * *

Good news: I finally got some feedback. Bad news: the visualization is so, so, so indescribably _wrong_ I have to stop for the night.

I'm not sure what's going on elsewhere on the island, but if two-legs big-horns are killing in such a way, well, I'm glad to be trapped here instead.

* * *

Thank you, cousin, thank you for the inevitable visualizations that result from your insightful commentary.

Gobber, being a typical Viking, ignores my cousin in favor of tearing into the bird speared onto his spitroast attachment. "It's wings an' tails along wi' th' gems ye want. if it can't fly, it can't get away. a downed dragon is a dead dragon."

Wait, if Toothless's tail is injured, that's why he can't fly. But if Toothless can't fly, it's like Gobber just said, Toothless is as good as dead with his tail in that condition.

Knowing what I must do, I lay the bait. "Hey, Gobber, what exactly is the purpose of a dragon's gem?" I ask. While my question draws some slight acknowledgment, it's quickly overshadowed by Gobber's next story.

"That subject is complicated. Th' most notable use is that it's needed fur fusion. but some speculate th' gem is used t' create their fire. Though when it comes t' gems, th' Boneknapper is th' most unusual as it builds its gem from th' shards o' several dead dragons. in fact, that's where this shard comes from." He points at the shard wedged into his gums. "Ye see, ah was a wee laddie when ah got this shard."

As Gobber tells his old Boneknapper tale, I set my food down and head for the smithy. Gobber will probably continue his saga well into the night. I wonder if he will make it to the part about the hammerhead yak before the others decide to s

steal away. I don't think anyone notices when I leave, but, out of the corner of my eye, I see Astrid watching me. Though, when I look back she seems to be fascinated by the story of dragons, gems, and stupidity.

It takes me a moment to figure out what I need to do, but eventually, I'm able to properly visualize the blueprints. I hold the image in my mind and copy it onto the pieces of parchment on my desk. Well, everything looks good, I just hope the size is proportional to his other tailfin.

Before I start, I make sure to sneak over to the tanners and snag some leather for the prosthetic fin.

All right, let's get started.

* * *

I probably should have questioned the two-legs sharp-eye's foggy state of mind when I sensed his presence, but I could also smell sea-prey, and lots of them. I still wasn't having much luck catching the tasty little morsels swimming in the lake and let my hunger dull my instinctive wariness. So my focus was obviously preoccupied, even more so when he dumped them out of the grass creel. As I was sniffing the pile, the Viking was providing some tasty imagery of sea-prey dull beaks,sea-prey no-spines, and shock-wo-wait, SHOCK-WORM!

He must have picked up on my distress because the two-legs sharp-eyes pulled the slimy, lightning-infused shock-worm yellow-stripes from the pile. He did not need to read my thoughts to see my distress now. Thankfully, he threw the shock-worm away so I could gorge myself properly for the first time in days.

I suppose that's why I didn't realize what the human was doing until after my stomach was no longer so achingly empty. I'm not sure what he did, but I just felt… right. Like order had been restored. Deciding to test this new balance, I take off. I can sense the two-legs sharp-eyes distress, but I chalk it up as being too close to the point of launch.

Just as I believe this flight might work, I'm headed for the ground.

* * *

Instinctively I clamp my arms around Toothless's tail and squeeze my eyes shut. I manage to pry them open and almost slam them closed again at the dizzying sight of trees and ground rushing by. I might have screamed, and who could blame me. Riding a wild dragon was not on my to-do list for today. By the time my screams die down, my attention is drawn to the tailfin I made, which is held closed by the wind blowing past us. It takes some effort, but I'm able to open the fin, and just in time too.

"Oh my, It's working!" I can't say I couldn't believe it, I'm just surprised this experimental tailfin works so well. It takes me a moment to realize how high up we are, so I turn the fin up, thankfully Toothless follows and is gliding over the canyon.

"Yes! Yes, I did it!" I'm not sure if Toothless hears me or felt me wiggle the fin, but he takes that moment to fling me off into the lake. But I'm too excited to be mad at him.

Plus it helps that without me, he is forced to do a swan dive into the water.

* * *

After the human and I make our way to the lake bank, I do a proper inspection of my tail. The replica is a near mirror image of the fin on the other side. The only difference is its color and the smell of the four-legged animals the Queen likes to eat.

What would the Queen think of this two-legs sharp-eyes? I know she says they're evil and getting close to one will spell out doom for the dragon in question, but he's trying to help me fly again, maybe she'll make an exception for him.

Speaking of the unusual two-legs sharp-eyes, he walks towards me with joy radiating from his whole being. I'm not much better. I flew again! There's still hope! In my excitement, I collide with the human.

* * *

I look down at myself, "I- we've fused again, haven't we?" My voice is much deeper now, less congested. "Let's get a look at ourselves." We leap over to the lake.

I think the second set of eyes is the most off-putting addition to this form. But my wings feel bigger and my body is definitely sleeker. So the flight should be fine. I look down and- okay, this is weird, I'm not used to seeing behind myself, but the skill could come in handy. Anyway, looking down, I can see my memory gem has gone from purple to a dark blue shade for some odd reason. My paws, or rather hands, resemble a human's more than a dragon's. Something falls in front of my face, it seems I also have the human's hair. (Which finally made up its mind and chose red.) Not sure if it will improve my flight or not, I'll have to check when the - hold on!

The fake tail has detached itself and is lying crumpled on the ground. Along with all of the clothes we – he – I had been wearing above the waist. A glanc down and I see a pair of tight fitting pants. Did the cloths fall off before? I can't remember.

My tail seems to have healed slightly. The fin isn't whole, but the spines have grown back somewhat. Maybe a different tailfin for when we are fused would work better. I reach for the notebook in my vest, but pause before I even touch it. What is a notebook? Do I – we – even know how to write? Shaking off these unsettling thoughts, I pick up the article of clothing and pull out the journal. Comparing my fusion tail to the prosthetic that had been made yesterday, I can tell that my new tail is slightly bigger. About four percent, maybe five. Looking around, I see a stick, which I make use of by creating several notches on its surface that correspond to the spines on our tail. Once all of my notes have been jotted down, I unfuse.

* * *

Looks like I'm me again. And naked from the waist up. I hurry back into my clothes. I hope this isn't going to happen every time we fuse. While this is certainly not what I had planned, I won't deny that it was insightful. I'm brought out of my musings by Toothless, who pushes his head into my back, purring. '_Joy, hope.'_

"Don't worry Toothless, I _will_ make this right." I wander back to the wicker basket I carried Toothless's meal in, put the stick and fin inside, and make my way to the exit.

But the last thought Toothless sends to me makes me freeze in my tracks.

"_Hiccup."_

* * *

**I was informed by my editor that the constant switching of POVs felt confusing. If anybody has such trouble, I'll do what I can to fix it. **

**Arthurshade: glad you like the idea**

**Guest: more about that will be explained later, not sure how much later though.**

**Sorry to say I don't think I can keep posting on a weekly basis. The only reason I've been able to do so is because I was injured and unable to work, giving me plenty of free time to write. Now that I've sufficiently healed, life is getting in the way again. Once again, sorry about that.**


	5. Shade Fury

**Sorry this took so long, I won't bother making excuses. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

"_Hiccup."_

It is my first attempt at using the two-leg method of speech Hiccup communicates with. Since two-legs (all but Hiccup apparently,) can't exchange memories or ideas, they communicate with a complex series of sounds. It feels weird, like I'm gargling small stones, but it works. Hiccup stares at me so long that I'm beginning to worry I said it wrong and accidentally insulted his ancestors. Then his eyes light up and his face does that goofy smile thing. He starts to babble at me. Thanks to our fusion and Hiccup's constant use of language, I've begun to get a grasp of this awkward way of communicating. It's not easy and I only seem to understand one word in five.

"I*** b* back s**n, Toothless." Thankfully Hiccup also shares the idea that he will return with the thought speech I'm more comfortable with. I've learned enough of his language to understand the word "Toothless" refers to myself. I'm not sure what it means though, I'll have to ask Hiccup when he returns.

* * *

So Toothless can talk now? How? Was it because we fused? These forehead scratchers buzz through my skull as I make my way to the arena for today's lesson. Everyone else is there, ready to deal with the Zippleback fusion. I double-check to make sure my secret weapon won't slide out. Gobber has all of us take a bucket full of water (I check to make sure it's actually water this time) before we enter the arena. Once all six of us are inside, Gobber opens the cage containing today's opponent.

"Today is abit teamwork." A thick fog emerges from the cage, hiding the two-headed dragon from us. "Now, a drenched dragon head cannae light its fire. Th' Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. one head breathes gas, th' other head lights it. yer job is t' know which is which."

I ignore Gobber's instructions when the dragon begins plotting in a way that only I can apparently hear.

'_Six two-legs big-horns, three pairs, thoughts?' _For a minute I think the Hideous Zippleback is projecting to me.

'_Drag one into fog, trip second, gas third'_ So the dragon is strategizing. I'm impressed. It's smarter than it looks. And, despite what generations of Vikings have done to its kind, the main flavor of its thoughts is to incapacitate, not destroy. I'm glad I can hear it- no, them even fused it has two minds working together.

'_One'_ The head on the left strikes, grabbing Tuffnut by the boot and dragging him into the fog. Seconds later the would-be slayer of dragons scrambles out of the fog and darts for the opposite side of the arena.

(LAs he flees, the fur of his boot shredded,Tuffnut screams, "Oh, I'm hurt! I am very much hurt!"

'_Two'_ The head on the right feints while the head on the left growls. Neither Astrid nor Ruffnut sees the tail until it is sweeping their feet out from under them. They fall into a groaning heap.

One of the heads lunges for Fishlegs. Good news, he douses the head. Bad news, it's the wrong head. As he's sprayed by green gas, I see the other head emerge from the fog. I try to splash the head, but because I'm, well, me, the water falls short. " Oh, come on," I grumble.

'_Three'_ The Hideous Zippleback crawls towards me. Its second head clicks several times, preparing to ignite the gas.

I quickly project the idea of an eel and a suggestion to back away from me."Back!"

'_Confusion'_

Good, it's distracted. I open my vest to show the eel. It freaks out even more than Toothless did. '_Fear, sever, no, no! NO!'_ The Zippleback backs into its cage and I throw the eel at their feet. The dragon is climbing up the back wall to get away from it.

I close the large doors of the Hideous Zipplebacks' cage. When I turn around I'm faced with the stunned expressions of my classmates and pseudo parent. The dragon is locked away again and I have places to be. Everyone may be quiet now, but once the shock wears off the questions will begin.

I try for a charming grin, but I'm afraid I look more like a seasick sheep. "Well, I don't know about you, but I had a blast!"

Their faces morph from shocked to… well, I'm not sure how to properly describe it, I'll just call it the "pun face." Everyone wears the same expression as I flee the arena.

After escaping class, I enter my house to resume that other project Gobber so eloquently interrupted.

'_Bargain'_

The gem whispers as I walk to the mantle and snatch the blue stone from its perch.

Let's see if I can do this right '_Query, bargain?'_ I hope my thoughts reach the gem.

'_Bargain, teach, aerokinesis'_ I'm shown images of a blue dragon manipulating the air to form attacks. Does this gem believe it can teach me this? It's worth a shot. But before I begin I'm struck by another thought. Why would the gem want to teach me? What does it want in return? I form the query carefully and send it to the spirit that lives inside the gem.

There is a pause. '_Freedom, rebirth.'_ I see an image in my mind of a volcano. Someone (another dragon?) hovers over the caldera, clutching several gems in its claws. As I watch it releases them to splash into the boiling lava. I sense satisfaction and relief. The image goes dark.

Okay? I shake my head to clear it. I guess if the gem wants me to drop it in a volcano when it has finished teaching me, I can do that. I start by getting a small flame going in the fireplace. It's small right now, so I focus on the idea of wind blowing on the-woah! Did I do that?!

The small flame suddenly grows to a well-tended fire. It almost feels as if I were in the forge with how hot its has become. Not wanting to burn down the house (again) I picture the idea of stillness to hopefully stop the sudden winds I created. It works, but I am suddenly too exhausted to wonder how I was able to do it.

_'Overuse, patience, impressed, proud'_ I'm slightly embarrassed when the Windstriker compliments me. I ask it with my pathokinesis if we should continue. '_Rest, recuperate.'_ I look outside, it's time for me to work on the modified tailfin.

* * *

The fact I have a full belly and soul fire should have me content for now, but Hiccup keeps coming to mind. When we fused for the second time, our tail was partially healed. From what I could decipher from the complex memory, he plans to make a new tailfin that works for when we are fused. I'm not sure how I feel about that to be honest. On one paw, he shot me down. On the other paw, he feels bad about grounding me and is trying to find a way to redeem himself in my eyes. The only one who went to such lengths to help me has been the Queen. But what would she think of Hiccup? What would he think of the Queen?

"H*y Toothless!" Oh, he's here and has our new tail. "L**s fuse b*fo*e we try *t o*t." I still need to learn more of Hiccup's language but the intent is clear. Before Hiccup can do anything, I grab him and-

* * *

We catch ourselves before I fall backward. It takes only a few seconds to shake off the disorientation from the sudden fusion. Should I be concerned that this is getting easier? I pick up the artificial tail and insert my fin spines into the slots. Once everything is set, I flex it, and the tail opens up. If it wasn't for the color and lack of feeling, I'd think it's a fully natural tail and not half metal and leather.

"Okay, its go time," I mutter to myself in the Viking tongue- "Hold on!" I'm able to speak out loud in Hiccup's tongue? "Well, I hope I'll never need to use this." The words feel weird in my mouth. How do humans keep from biting off their own tongues when they speak? It keeps flopping around like a fish, pressing against my teeth to help form certain sounds. The alien sensation makes me shudder. I finally just shut up and take off. The experience of flight is indescribable. While I feel the joy of returning to the sky, I'm also flying for the very first time. There are no words in Hiccup's vocabulary to describe how I feel, so I just enjoy myself.

I'm flying over the trees and suddenly the ocean is beneath us. I begin a steady dive and perform a sharp turn parallel to the water. "This is amazing!" I shout, all my giddiness welling up to the point of childlike joy. I fly straight up into the clouds. My wing slices through one, causing it to swirl behind me, it's quite beautiful above the clouds. Reaching out with my hand, I brush the clouds but am shocked when I don't feel anything. It's like fog!

I wonder what the others will think of this, maybe I can take Astrid up here and- No. She won't understand; Nobody in Berk will. But maybe… no, change the subject. Fire! Maybe I can try shooting fire. Reaching for my magic soul-fire, I gather the energy and inject it into the ball of volatile gas that is gathering in my mouth. Once it's properly charged, I fire into a particularly dark cloud in front of me. It swells and glows purple for a moment. Then it shrinks back down. I can't believe it. I wonder if-

ZAP!

* * *

We're falling. Oh, gods, we're falling! "Toothless!"

_"Hiccup!"_

Both of us are falling and the ground is getting closer. I reach for Toothless but his spinning gets me a slap in the face from his tail.

"Toothless, steady yourself!" I shout past the wind. I manage to grab hold of his paw. I don't think he can hear me. I try projecting my thoughts instead. _"Toothless, can you hear me?"_

_"I knew it. I knew this little two-legs was going to kill me!"_

"_Toothless! Pay attention!"_

Toothless flicks an ear and manages to look at me despite the out-of-control death spiral). Some anger mixes in with the panic. "_I'm listening"_

_"Good." _He can at least hear me like this. _"Now listen, we need to fuse again before we hit the ground."_ Due to some lucky flailing I manage to grab one of the spines along his neck and pull myself closer to his head. _"Look at me, Toothless. We can do this."_

Toothless calms down, staring into my eyes as I stare into his.

* * *

Good news, Hiccup and Toothless fused once again. Bad news, I'm plummeting toward a forest of sea stacks. They make a lovely field of black granite pillars and the extra addition of fog reminds one of just how beautiful they are when viewed from a distance. I'd have loved to keep my distance but my current trajectory will take me right into the middle.

If I don't dodge all of these I'm dead.

Right, I can do this. I strain to move my wings against the wind plastering them to my sides. One wingtip twitches and sends me veering to the left just in time. I flare them slightly and drop down between two pillars. Just a bit more to the right. One of the stacks grazes my wing, but I manage to turn my sudden wobbly spin into a barrel roll. Another dodge and twist to the left and I just might make it out of here. One more turn and-oh no, I'm heading for a wall; there's not enough room to maneuver.

I'm going to die. Oh, gods, I'm going to die!

No! We're not done yet. I am the fusion of Hiccup and Toothless, the smartest two-legs on the island and the most feared dragon Berk has never seen. This wall will not stand in my way!

Suddenly, everything goes dark. It's cold, wait, I can't feel anything, why am I numb? What's going on?! I'm all alone. I don't want to be alone.

Hold on, I'm not alone. A fusion is never alone. I have Hiccup, and Toothless, heh, I finally understand why Hideous Zipplebacks call themselves "partners of life."

The sun suddenly shines upon my scales as I leave the sea stacks behind. What was that? Did I somehow phase through the wall? How? Dragons can't do that and certainly not humans. I'll replay the memory when I get myself seated somewhere.

* * *

Toothless and I are relaxing on a small outcropping. He is enjoying a pile of fish we caught while we were fused and I'm cooking mine over the fire.

_"I know you wear pelts to keep out cold, but why you burn food? Fine as is not?"_

"Okay Toothless, what you should say is 'why do you burn your food? It's fine as is, isn't it?' You need to work on your sentence structure to help them flow better." My attempts to teach Toothless language have been going better than if I were to teach one of the more colorful residents of my village, especially Snotlout.

Toothless's eyes widen. _"Is he two-legs who cuts off legs and gems of dragons with face?"_ I cringe as my lout of a cousin's comment returns to haunt me. _"That him! You kin to… that?"_

I take a moment to breathe and calm down. _"Snotlout is my cousin. My mother and his father are siblings. He just boasts so don't worry, no Vikings are mutilating dragons with their faces." _Toothless sighs in relief at the news, then I realize what he said. _"How exactly did you know about that?"_

Toothless looks surprised. _"Did you not offer a memory?"_

"No, that's just what I thought of when he spoke. Do dragons not project ideas like that?"

_"You can tell when something is untrue, it's like the picture you drew in dirt. A… copy? Yeah, copy. You can tell."_

"But not for me?"

_"Your projections so… detailed I thought it was memory." _His expression turns to awe. _"You can make ideas look like memories, kind of scary."_

Huh? So a practical use for my vivid imagination. Neat. Then something else comes to mind. "How far can someone send memories?"

_"Different for everyone. Some can project over large area, focus on one spot, or certain dragons farther away. Range depends on skill."_

While contemplating the uses for this ability, a thunder of Terrible Terrors lands on the island.

_'Dark wing! Dark wing here.' _The small dragons project in a chorus. They land and crawl toward us as Toothless shows his teeth to protect his food. A Terror with a red back and its gem on the thigh crawls up to Toothless. _'Query, absence?'_

Toothless responds, _'injured, flightless, self-exile.'_

Hold on, why did Toothless tell them he can't fly? He still can when we're fused.

_'Query, see injury?'_ Toothless shows his damaged tail to the red-backed terror. _'Query, heal?'_

_'Tried.'_

_'Know how!'_ Red lifts up his right foreleg. _'Regrew.'_ I get a closer look. There is a noticeable lighter shade compared to the rest of his body. It's then the Terrors notice me sitting here. Red jumps back. _'Two-legs!'_ Red jumps back to the other Terrors and fuses with them.

Toothless and I respond quickly by fusing with each other.

* * *

The Terror fusion stares up at me in horror. _'How? Why?'_

I sit down, crossing my legs and stare. _'Sit.'_ The other fusion sits and stares at me. I show the dragon my memories of the past few days. They are transfixed all the way through the story. When I finish, the

Terror fusion is no longer frightened but giddy.

_'Shade wing, amazing, unusual, elite.'_

"Shade wing?" The name makes me think of when I blacked out and came to on the other side of the wall. In the memory, right before I blacked out, I could have sworn there were small black particles enveloping me. I suppose that's where the name comes from. Maybe Shade Fury instead. Yeah, I like that name.

I am the Shade Fury.

* * *

**So there are a few things that may need to be ****addressed. First, to those that noticed a spelling error when referring to the Zipplebacks was intentional. They are two individuals and I will refer to them as such.**

**Second, my magic is based off that of the Inheritance cycle's wild magic. **

**Third, the reason Terrible Terrors' ability to heal is not taught to other dragons is because they are looked down upon.**

**Soulinvoker: I'll take that into consideration.**

**Arthorshade: Thank you.**

**Arraia: all I can say is better late than never.**

**Guest: Not exactly, bit I can assure you the Shade fury is not the only human dragon fusion in this story.**

**Eris: Hopefully I can offer a proper description next chapter.**

**RCRC36: Hopefully I can update sooner.**

**So I plan to have more dragon human fusions in later chapters, but I need names for them. Any suggestions will be very helpful.**


	6. Itching

**Great news, we'll get to see a new POV this chapter. Hopefully I remained true to character.**

* * *

After Toothless and I return to the canyon and unfuse, we agree that more work on the tail is needed. So I hang around for a bit. It's warm today and, still a little sweaty after my earlier exertions, I decide not to put my tunic and vest back on. One of these days I will have to figure out why I lose my tunic but keep my pants every time we fuse. (Though since I can only hang on to one piece of clothing, I'm glad it's my pants.) Granted they are rather tight. Maybe I'll start wearing a kilt when I'm not in the forge.

_"So, Shade Fury?"_ Toothless projects.

"We need to be called something, don't you think? The name those Terrors used is an apt description."

_"Do you think two-legs big-horns will use it?"_

"If they hear the name, maybe? It's easier for me, anyway. Humans give things names to better identify them. It's why I gave you a name." Something suddenly comes to mind, "Toothless, did you have a name before you met me?"

Toothless tilts his head. _"__W__hen we need to identify another, we project the idea of the one we look for. If you were to… trans-late? Yeah, translate, I would just be Night-wing, but I prefer Toothless."_ He pauses momentarily. _"__B__y the way, what does Toothless mean?"_

I freeze up. Well, he was bound to learn of this sooner or later. "I called you Toothless because when I offered you fish the first time, your teeth were retracted into your gums." I gesture to my own gums for emphasis. "The name stuck when you did your gummy, toothless smile."

Toothless understands and narrows his eyes. _"Are you telling me you named me 'has no teeth?'"_ He looks quite miffed, not that I blame him.

"If it helps, Berkian custom kinda requires us to give our kids hideous names. You want to know what my name means?" I slowly back away.

_"It doesn't help, but keep trying."_ He lowers himself to the ground, looking ready to pounce. Great, any farther and I'll have to swim away.

I put the fin down next to me. "My name translates to 'runt of the litter.' I was born early and have remained smaller than the other members of my tribe because of it." I lie down, grass tickling my bare back. "Because of this, I've been seen as a mistake my whole life, I try to fix things by building devices that will let me be as good as them, but they either don't work or backfire in the worst possible outcome. It's a miracle nobody has died from my inventions." The stars are bright tonight. I stare at them until they grow watery and the light blurs. "That's how I became known in my village as Hiccup the useless. A very apt description." It must be starting to rain, despite the clear, cloudless sky. Drops trickle down my cheeks and into my hair. My throat feels tight. I swallow, hoping I'm not coming down with something. Maybe I should just go.

Toothless takes that moment to pounce. Good news, he doesn't crush me. Bad news, I am now pinned under an angry Night Fury. _"You are_ not _useless__, __Hiccup. Sure, you're smaller than other __t__wo-legs big-horns, but you shot me from the sky. Me! Nobody in your nest has even seen a member of my race, let alone had the opportunity to kill one at their leisure."_ Toothless presses his forehead against mine. _"After letting me go, before I got to know you, I wanted to warn others of what you could do so you'd be stopped if one of your… inventions were used against us. The only thing that prevented me from ending such a monumental threat to the Queen and her subjects was my pride. One of the nest's strongest acknowledged you as a threat. The only other one I've acknowledged as a threat is this one."_ Toothless projects an image of Stoick the Vast taking on and winning against a Monstrous Nightmare with a shovel. _"Remember this__,_ _Hiccup, behind this…" _Did he just gesture to all of me? _"Soft exterior,"_ oh, he found a word for it, something nobody in my village has done, _"__l__ies a warrior, one that, given the right incentive, could tear down even the likes of the Queen."_ Toothless sits back on his haunches. _"So promise me you'll stop calling yourself useless. Because you're not."_

I'm not sure what comes over me, I just stand up and hug him. His scales are warm against my bare skin. Toothless wraps his arms around me, returning the hug. "Thank you, Toothless." I look up at him. "Thank you for being there for me, for being my friend." Toothless looks down at me, doing his gummy smile.

Then he ruins the moment by licking me across my face, and a slobbery one at that!

"Toothless!" I back up and wipe the slobber off. "What the Hel?!"

_"Just because your name sucks doesn't mean mine has to."_ He bends down, ready to pounce. _"Run__,_ _little two-legs sharp-eyes, and pray the __N__ight __F__ury doesn't get you."_

I don't get far before I'm pinned down by Toothless. Something wet, slimy, and ticklish runs from the small of my back to the nape of my neck. I try to suppress a full body shiver. He flips me over and I just _feel _the dirt sticking to my back. With my chest exposed to the vengeful dragon, he strikes.

I thought it was ticklish when he groomed my back, but this is even more effective. "Toothless, stop! That tickles!" I plead

_"It's supposed to."_ He moves from my chest up to my face. He pauses mid-lick on my forehead. _"I taste blood."_ He narrows his eyes. _"Your forehead is red and swollen, __with __several lines across it."_ He sends me an image. It's odd seeing myself like this, but I see the bump and scratch marks. When I rub my forehead,I can feel the bump. I don't remember hitting anything with my face recently. And it's not sore, just itchy.

"I have been scratching it a lot lately." I rub the bump.

Toothless's breath blows my hair back. _"__T__ry not to scratch." _He looks up. _"__Y__ou should head back."_

I jog over to the boulder where I hid my vest, tunic, and boots. "We'll begin the healing process tomorrow." After dressing, I hug Toothless around the neck. "Thanks for today, and what you said. About me not being useless."

Toothless returns the hug with his arms and wings. _"Never forget it."_

* * *

Usually, when I vent my spleen on trees via battleax, it works like a charm. But even reducing a spruce to splinters does not ease the tension brought on by Hiccup and his unorthodox tricks in dragon training.

I don't understand it. Everything he does in dragon training should end with him in serious peril, or at least a little maimed. Instead he's taking down dragons barehanded and being praised. The first few times I thought it was a fluke of some sort, but I'm now convinced he's learned something new about our enemy. It wouldn't be a problem if he wasn't suddenly so secretive.

I heft my ax out of the tree and throw it at another well-used target. My ax strikes the spruce dead center, almost splitting it in two. But instead of calming me, it further kindles my Hiccup-shaped rage.

Every day, without fail, he leaves the village in the afternoon to go who knows where in the woods. When he returns, he goes straight to his house and remains there until he doesn't even show up then, not reappearing until dragon training the next day.

I toss my ax at a thick branch, slicing it right off the tree. One look at the smooth cut almost cheers me up before I start obsessing over Hiccup's sudden talent during dragon training again.

The last thing I saw him do that was out of the ordinary was when he snuck into the food stores with a basket and left it there. After he left, I entered the storage hut and found the basket full of freshly caught fish. At first, I was impressed with his haul until I'd realized these fish were deep-sea dwellers. How did Hiccup catch these without a boat?

I find my ax on its side in the foliage. My mind wanders to another of Hiccup's strange new habits.

He's also been scratching his forehead quite often for some odd reason. I might not have noticed had he not been bleeding from his forehead every other day.

I imagine my next target with Hiccup's face on it. My ax sinks deeper into the tree than intended and it takes a moment to yank it out from the wood.

I don't care if whatever Hiccup's doing is benevolent or malevolent. The only thing I know for sure is that Hiccup is hiding something. Something he doesn't want the village to know about, and I'm going to find out what. But how?

I pause mid-throw as a memory is recalled.

_As Hiccup and I made our way to the village, the __boy seemed __flooded by a sudden rush of courage. "Hey, Astrid, is there any chance you could help me with dragon training?" I paused and looked back at him. I was still frustrated with Hiccup's proven ineptitude but curious about his sudden interest in improving. I guess he took what I said to heart._

"_I'll think about it." I hefted my ax from one shoulder to the other and jogged into the forest for some peaceful solo training. _

Hiccup wanted to train with me. Perhaps I'll use that to find out what he's hiding. I doubt Hiccup will say no. Despite what Ruffnut may think, I actually notice Hiccup and Snotlout's advances. Between the two, or anyone in my age group for that matter, Hiccup is my first choice. But only because he's the least objectionable option, not because I like him. I rub my temples, I've had this conversation with Ruffnut so many times my response is automatically tripped. Knowing what needs to be done, I continue training and plotting how I'll uncover Hiccup's little secret.

* * *

It's been a week since I called myself Shade Fury, and both myself and my components have greatly improved.

With the red Terror's memories, Hiccup manages to heal our tailfin to the point where I don't need the prosthetic to fly anymore. Toothless's tailfin spines still have some growing to do before a fin can be attached, unfortunately. But progress is progress.

Luckily, Hiccup has made far more progress. Thanks to some lessons from Toothless and the Windstriker memory stone in Hiccup's home, he's learned to control his soul fire in some rather impressive displays of wind and fire.

But as for me, I'm doing things with soul fire even the Queen might not know of. My greatest ability is my namesake shade, which allows me to become incorporeal. It's no trump card and has been difficult to figure out, let alone make practical. It is worth it though, the number of things I can do with my shade is near-infinite.

Ooh, I see some tuna in the strait, dibs! The fish don't stand a chance against my plasma. After snatching the sea-prey from the water, I land on one of the low but wide sea stacks. I balance on my hind legs and set the fish down. Before I light the fire, I glance at my unusually vivid reflection in the water.

My red, no, auburn hair has grown out, my sensory organs poking out of the messy locks. (I've learned the hard way that when hair sticks up, there's nearby lightning.) The hair makes a habit of covering my second set of green, slitted eyes, but as it barely hinders my vision I ignore it. My crescent-shaped memory stone shines with a deep blue color on my chest. Since my tail causes an imbalance walking on two legs, I've wrapped it over my right shoulder, under my memory stone, and back across my left. This has the end of my tail resting square in the middle of my back. The last thing I do is wrap my wings around my body to create a sort of cape.

Overall, if I had to use one word to describe my appearance, the word regal comes to mind.

As my attention goes back to my face, I notice a faint blue glow on my forehead.i climb down the seastack to get a closer look. Theres definitely some odd blue glow right in the middle of my forehead.

"What is that?" I crawl backward up the sea stack. Once I'm at the top, I unfuse into Hiccup and Toothless.

* * *

I look at two-legs sharp-eyes Hiccup, who is clearly as perplexed as I am by the glow on the Shade Fury's forehead.

_"What was that glow?"_ I ask. Hiccup shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know." Hiccup starts scratching his forehead again. Before I can reprimand him on his bad habit, I'm assaulted by a horrible sound. Like claws on stone. Hiccup stops scratching to cover his ears and the noise stops.

_"What in the name of the Queen_ _was_ that_?!"_ Hiccup moves his hands from his ears to his forehead. Instead of scratching he starts rubbing the area and an odd squeaky sound emanates from it.

"Toothless." Hiccup's voice is full of panic now. "Is there something on my forehead?"

Hiccup moves his hair out of the way. Sitting there, right in the middle of Hiccup's forehead, emitting a faint green glow, is a round, faceted memory stone.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that moment of bonding, I'm rather proud of that one. Those that saw the Image that came with the story should have seen this twist coming. Hiccup now has a memory stone on his forehead. lets see what happens.**

**Guest: Glad you liked it, I have mixed feelings about cliffhangers myself. Mixed because they are fun to write but anxious to read.**

**Fanreader26: It's a good name, kind of a Valkyrie image comes up. But I feel that kind of title is specific to female Nadder fusions. maybe it can be a name for a brigade of sorts, I'll hang on to it.**

**Meps: Thank you, I try. as for a picture of the Shade Fury, there should be one attached.**

**I hope the description of the Shade fury was satisfactory, and don't forget to review, I love hearing your feedback. Next chapter we'll see a ship.**


	7. Hiccstrid

**Sorry this took so long, a laundry list of delays kept me from updating. I hope you like it.**

**Sorry again for the giant block of text. thanks for pointing it out stephen51991**

* * *

As Gobber drags the dazed Gronckle back into its cage, Hiccup sneaks away again. With the Gronkle out of commission until tomorrow dragon training is over for the day, but I still get the impression that he is sneaking, not just going to get something to eat. It's suspicious and I shouldn't care, but it's suspicious and I need to know what he's up to. That's my reasoning anyway as I follow, employing all my skills to avoid being seen. I shouldn't have bothered. He doesn't seem to notice me and I still manage to lose him. Instead of getting frustrated, I retrace my steps to a spot where I'd seen Hiccup go when he wants to be alone. Not that I'm stalking him. I'm just... concerned. And it's always better... for... the village... to know where he is. I find him, sitting cross-legged on top of a boulder, but am surprised by what he is doing.

"I'm your mortal flaw, and you're my fatal sin," he sings softly and hums a few notes." No that doesn't sound right. You're my mortal flaw, and I'm your fatal sin. Yeah, that's better. " He proceeds to write something, probably lyrics, in his journal.

I am utterly flabbergasted. Since when could Hiccup sing? Vikings don't sing. We bellow, roar, and occasionally chant, but we don't sing. Granted, I'm no expert but I think he sounds... good. I almost just stay there to listen, but he turns around and sees me.

He proceeds to fall off the boulder. Just as quickly, he scrambles to his feet.

"Astrid! Hi, Astrid. Hi, Astrid." He straightens his clothes from the tumble.

I shake my head and walk over to the boy. "Hey, Hiccup, you said a few days ago you wanted to practice together. Well, still feeling up to it?" I half expect him to jump at the chance, but he actually takes a few minutes to answer. I would almost swear that somebody is telling him what to say, the way his eyes go glassy and unfocused for an instant before he replies. But that is ridiculous. There's nobody out here but us.

"You're probably aware I'm not strong in the traditional Viking way." He picks up his notebook and slides it in his vest. (Does he have pockets inside his vest? Shady.) "In order to keep up, I use unconventional methods." He looks at his hands. Why is he giving me this speech? It's a yes or no question, for Tyr's sake! "Before I answer, tell me, do you believe my methods are wrong? Think carefully before you answer."

This is not what I was expecting when I decided to investigate Hiccup. He went from stuttering mess to a thought out speech. Since when did he become so serious? (It's a nice change of pace but that's not important.) But maybe this is better. With this, he can tell me. I just need to word this right. "My problem isn't really your methods. It's the fact you dodge questions left and right." I set my ax down and sit on an adjacent boulder, staring at him. "Everything you're doing you cover up, almost as if you made a deal with Loki." He grimaces at the idea. "If you can't tell me what you're doing, tell me why you cover it up." My irritation softens by the end of my own speech.

Hiccup lies down on his boulder, looking at the clouds. "I guess…" He pauses for a moment, trying to find the words. "My tactics are not considered Viking enough to be accepted by everyone else." He looks at his arms. "I can't swing a broadsword to save my life, despite the fact I've worked in the forge every day since I was eight." He sits back up. "I'm also clumsy, and whenever I try to do things my way by building machines that should do things for me, they either fail to impress or malfunction in such a way as to make me look worse." He inhales and lets it out slowly, almost a sigh. "That's why I'm so circumspect about my tactics. Most Vikings would think I was cheating or something. Despite the fact we are at war with dragons and any advantage we get will save more people and prevent more theft." He cuts his rant off with a grimace. He looks at me then, waiting for my answer.

I pick my ax back up. "So you feel your methods are shameful in some way?" He nods. I stand up. "Here's the deal then." I heft my ax over my shoulder. "In exchange for teaching me this new method of fighting dragons, I'll help you develop a fighting style that plays to your strengths." I offer him a hand. "Deal?" He takes a moment to decide before he smirks and clasps my hand.

"Deal."

* * *

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I accepted Astrid's offer. I'm glad Toothless helped me hold it together

_"Thanks for the help,_" I project letting him feel my gratitude.

_"Glad to."_ Toothless's voice is somewhat fuzzy, considering I am about a mile away right now. _"Make sure she doesn't see your memory stone."_

_"I took care of that earlier."_ Bandages cover the gem on my forehead. I tell people that I injured myself and let them draw their own conclusions. Some assume that I ran into one too many trees. Others think that I'm battling wild dragons bare-handed. Whatever keeps them happy and far from the truth_. "So, what can I safely tell Astrid that doesn't reveal my connection to you?"_

Toothless takes a moment to think. _"Tell her about shock-worm eels and ecstasy grass."_ I suppress a giggle at the memory of Toothless wriggling in a field of grass I'd dubbed Dragon Nip. Toothless growls in my head._ "That stuff does things to dragons. You know this."_ He must have seen the memory. The scourge of the night sky does not like anyone to witness him being silly.

_"I know, but you were amusing nonetheless."_

"Hiccup! Hurry up!" Astrid calls. During my mental conversation I'd managed to lag behind.

_"I may not see you tonight. But just in case, let's keep quiet for now. I don't want Astrid wondering why I'm more distracted than usual."_

_"I don't like it, but okay."_

"Coming!" I catch up to Astrid. She seems parched. "Want some?" I offer her my waterskin. She looks at it, shrugs, and takes a swig.

"Thanks." She returns the skin. "So what weapons can you use?" She idly twirls her ax with one hand.

I take a moment to think."Most Viking weapons are too heavy for me to use reliably. The only weapon I can count on has been my dagger." I offer the weapon and Astrid takes it. After inspecting the blade, she throws it into a tree.

"Until you have a proper weapon, we will practice knife throwing." She tugs the dagger from the tree and carves a target on the wood. She returns the knife to me. "Let's see what you've got "

Holding the dagger in my right hand, I throw it at the target. It hits the outer rim, but doesn't stick and falls to the ground.

"Don't let the blade spin. Throw it straight." She demonstrates with her own dagger. She throws it and her aim is true, hitting dead center. She smirks. "Still got it."

I walk over to the tree and grab both my dagger and Astrid's. (Though it takes a few tugs to remove hers from the wood.) I walk back to the starting spot and am about to throw it at the tree when I remember something. Perhaps my new skills may be useful here.

* * *

I watch Hiccup as he prepares to throw his dagger again. He looks like he's about to throw it in a twirling motion before he pauses and takes time to think about his throw. He alters his grip and throws his dagger. A sudden wind knocks us both over as the dagger flies through the air at an alarming speed. I shakily get back up, somewhat dazed by the sudden gust of wind. I look over at Hiccup. He tries to get up but is sweating profusely, more exhausted than he should be.

"What the heck wa-" I don't get to finish my sentence as the sound of strained wood can be heard behind us. I turn around to see the tree we are using as target practice slowly tipping towards us. "Hiccup, run!" I shout as I run away. Hiccup seems to be having trouble getting up, almost as if he's just run a marathon. Seeing that the tree is seconds from falling on him, I reach out with my right hand, grab Hiccup, and pull him away before he can be crushed.

I'm momentarily distracted as a green glow shows from beneath his bandages.

* * *

I'm still a little dazed after using my magic like that. I need to learn how to hold back. If I overdo it too much I could die!

I stand up and look at the tree. Upon closer inspection, I see that it's quite old, with noticeable areas of decay. But what strikes me as odd is that the tree looks smaller than it should. Looking at the trunk, I see a knife sticking out the side. But when I walk over I realize this is my dagger. But why is it so small now?

Turning my head down to look at the knife has the effect of having my hair fall in my face. This wouldn't have surprised me if my hair wasn't suddenly a bright red. I jump up and proceed to fall backward. Were my legs always this long? Wait! I grab the knife-sized dagger and try to look at my reflection in the blade, but it's too rough to provide any kind of mirror. So I pick up my noticeably smaller ax with arms that are too long to be comfortable. When I look at the side of my well tended weapon, my reflection is clear as day, except it's not my reflection. The face I look at is alien to me? But when I see the red gem on my forehead I-

* * *

We dispersed when I realize we'd fused. I fall to the ground and stare at Astrid, who stares at me, or rather, at the green memory gem on my forehead.

"Hiccup, why is that there?" She lifts her shaking hand, pointing at my forehead. I've seen Astrid angry plenty of times but now she looks worried and… concerned? "Hiccup," she sounds angrier now, "what is that?"

"Astrid you have to give me a chance to explain!" I crawl backward, until my back hits a log. This feels familiar.

She stands there, picking up her ax and leaning on it. "I'm waiting." She has calmed somewhat.

I take in a breath, hoping she buys this half-truth. "Okay, so remember a few weeks ago when I shot down a Night Fury?" I pause and wait for it to sink in.

Astrid's eyes widen, "You were serious?"

"I was." I sit straighter, getting more comfortable. "I went searching for the dragon, but when I got to the crash site, he had escaped."

Astrid tilts her head. "He?"

Crap, I did not mean to reveal that. I think it best to continue. "What I didn't know was that he escaped recent enough that he saw me inspecting the mangled bola." Astrid's eyes widened slightly. "As he was obviously quite nettled about me shooting him down, I was attacked by a weakened and injured, but still strong Night Fury."

"If that's the case, how did you not die?"

"Because during our fight, we accidentally fused." I interlace my fingers to get the point across. "We were both so startled by it that he fled and I fainted." I drop my arms. "A few weeks later, this," I gesture to the gem on my forehead, "grows out of my skull."

Astrid looks incredulous. "Is this how you got better in dragon training?"

I smile, press my lips together, and project my next comment, seeing if she can hear it. _"That's part of it."_ I wasn't sure if she could hear me at first, but she obviously did and saw that my lips and jaw never moved.

Her skepticism melts into shock. "What did you just do?"

"This is how dragons communicate with each other, though they talk with images and emotions rather than words." I stand up, dust off my kilt, and switch back to verbal communication. "It's how I learned my 'shady' tactics. They expressed their emotions and I took advantage." Remembering what Toothless said earlier, I decide to tell Astrid about some of the tactics. "I learned dragons, particularly fusions, are afraid of eels, which they associate with lightning. Lightning may be able to forcefully disband fusions, I'm not really sure. I've learned this and more from just listening to the dragons." I pause and look down. "Unfortunately this gem came with something unexpected. "

The concern is back. "And that is?"

I sit down on the log and release a heavy breath. "I don't think I can kill dragons now. Not when I've heard them. They're not just animals anymore, Astrid. They're sentient, a few are even sapient!" I look Astrid straight in the eye. "All those gems we keep as trophies, the dragons are still alive, Astrid. Or, at least, somewhat." I slouch, elbows on my knees. "Even if that can be called living." I rub the bridge of my nose, worried I'd revealed too much.

Much to my shock, Astrid takes a seat next to me and attempts to console. "I'm not sure how I can help you, but I do know I'm now in the same boat as you." I look at her. "This is going to take some getting used to." She scratches her right palm. "Anything else I should know?"

I think about it before I make up my mind. "Thanks to this gem in my forehead I can now use magic." I gesture to the tree we're sitting on. "It's how I knocked this tree down."

It takes Astrid a moment to digest what I just said. "Wha-, wh-, how?" She's even more shocked than before.

"One of the gems in my house was willing to teach me, I believe it thinks I'm a dragon, for how else could we talk to each other?" My voice gets some bardic embellishment at the end.

Astrid just stares ahead, mind blown. "Welp, I guess I learned your shady secret." She sets her ax down. "How are you going to tell the village? You obviously can't hide that forever." She gestures to my forehead.

"Your's will certainly be easier to hide." I glance at her right palm, which has some red lines where she scratched it. Her gaze follows mine.

"You mean I'm going to have a gem?!" She sounds angry and scared, but mostly angry.

I stand up and back away. "I-I'll help you wherever I can! I'm still new to this, too, you know!"

Thankfully Astrid calms down. "So what now?"

I sit back down. "Now… we find a way to tell the village that doesn't get us disowned or killed." I look at Astrid, who appears more vulnerable than I've ever seen before. "Any ideas?"

* * *

Unfortunately, Hiccup and I don't have any bright ideas of how to explain this. I look up and see it's already sunset.

"We should head back." Hiccup gets off the log and walks towards the village.

"Hey, Hiccup, do dragons have names for their fusions?" He looks back at me.

"I don't know. Dragons use images and emotions to talk." He pauses. "Though the Zipplebacks in the ring think of themselves as 'partners of life.' At least that's the best translation."

"Maybe we should have a name for our fusion. Any ideas?"

Hiccup smirks and I know he's gonna be coy with me. "We could take the standard Viking approach to things and bash our own names together."

I try not to laugh." You think we should be called Hiccstrid or something?"

He chuckles. "I was thinking Astcup." Hiccup takes a moment to think. "Hiccstrid is not half bad actually. I'm okay using that name if you are."

I shrug. "Hiccstrid it is."

* * *

**I had so many shipping jokes when I wrote this chapter, but I would like to hear yours. **

**So Astrid knows Hiccup's secret. (well, part of it.) lets see how that plays out. **

**Does anybody know what song Hiccup was singing? its going to come into play later.**

**Guest: glad you think so.**

**Deadly Bagel: Glad you noticed the part on the Queen not being universally hated. Its something I hope will be well received in the Queens' grand entrance.**

** The Shade fury's signature shade is something I believe, when properly utilized, would be excellent for close combat. the reason nobody would really care if terrors know how to regrow limbs is part of a hierarchy thing. who would you ask for advice in the military? a private or a general? that's the case here. **

**Glad somebody appreciates the learning curve. (even if it felt too quick to be realistic.) The vent my spleen thing was unintentional, but the imagery provided by your comment had me doing a nervous laugh. Glad you picked up on the hints I dropped. I'm sure you could easily figure out how those with gems are able to fuse with those lacking. You will probably figure out the Queens' secret before shes even introduced.**

**Greenyy: I'm happy this view of the Queen is refreshing. I wanted to try something different.**

**Umbra Lycan: I'm not exactly sure how to classify this AU. Any ideas?**

**Hopefully the next chapter comes out sooner. In the mean time, lets hear some Hiccstrid jokes.**


	8. Two-Legs Sharp-Ears

**Astrid may accept Hiccup's story, (for now) but she will do some searching of her own.**

* * *

After dropping off Astrid at her house, I make my way to the canyon. I can't simply project my thoughts anymore. Astrid might hear me and I don't want her finding out about Toothless just yet. As I make my way down the slope, I try to focus my thoughts toward Toothless's general direction.

_"Toothless, you there? Something unforeseen has happened." _He comes to meet me as I squeeze through the narrow opening in the cliff. _"Careful when you talk, she might hear you."_

Toothless looks concerned. _"Is there a raid going on? I don't sense __any_ _other dragons nearby. At least none besides those in the arena."_

While the fins on his head vibrate, searching for nearby dragons, I'm briefly reminded of a conversation about the arena dragons. We agreed to help them before the final test. When Toothless is done trying to find signs of a raid, he turns to me. _"Show me what happened."_ I follow through, pulling up the memory of this afternoon and showing it to Toothless. He staggers back. Had Toothless been standing on two legs, he'd have fallen over. _"How? I can see it happening but I can't tell why it happened. That female adolescent two-legs, Astrid, was it?"_ I nod. _"Pulls you out of danger (good for her) and you fuse with her?" _Toothless pauses_. "__W__hat's the __similarity __between what happened with her and what happened with us?" _ I don't have an answer. I look over the event several times and don't see anything that might tell us.

"There's nothing I'm finding that might tell us why Astrid and I fused." I sit down and Toothless curls his body around me. "In the meantime, we need to find a way to communicate without Astrid overhearing anything." I switch to mental communication. _"Can you focus your thoughts on me and only me?" _

_"I can__, __but it requires me to know where you are. Maybe if you can be alone with the female, I will detect her presence and remember to avoid it. I can't find her with all the other memory stones in your village." _Toothless considers the plan. _"But if we do this I can't say anything to you. You will have to tell me when you're __going to be __alone with her. __C__loser to the __canyon_ _would be __better." _Toothless perks up as he gets an idea. _"Maybe I'll hide somewhere so I can see her and get a better signature. The more I know, the better."_

"Sounds like a plan." I look up. "Hey, bud, do you mind if I stay here tonight? It's already late and-" Toothless trips me, pulling me to his chest and wrapping me in his wings.

_"It does get lonely here."_ He hugs my head with his chin. _"It'll be good to have company."_ I'm held close, Toothless's heartbeat lulling me to sleep.

"Goodnight, Toothless."

_"Goodnight__,_ _Hiccup. " _It takes a moment, but before I drift off, I hear Toothless say something else. _"They'll appreciate you."_

* * *

When I arrive back home, I'm surprised by all the voices I'm hearing. I'm glad my parents aren't home. They would've thought I'd gone mad, flinching at nothing. But then I remember what Hiccup told me earlier. I try to relax. Keyword is _try_ because the gems on the shelf keep sending their thoughts in all directions. Deciding to try something before going to sleep, I scan the shelf of gems (prizes of past kills) and pick out a gem with an unusual cut. The gem in question belonged to a Skrill, slain by my great uncle Magnus. (He's currently residing in either Valhalla or Folkvangr.) The gem is tan with veins of blue and yellow zigzagging throughout its surface. I remember what Hiccup told me about what he did with the Windstriker and try projecting ideas of peace and curiosity toward the gem. My shock when I receive a response is so much that I almost drop the gem.

_'Greetings, query, location?" _Making sure I'm not in the image, I try sending an image of the room. The gem is suddenly alarmed. _'E__scape_ _quickly, not safe.' _I decide to head to my room.

Once in my room, I offer thoughts of safety and security. I'm not sure what to do next, but then I remember Hiccup telling me how the dragons inside of the gems seem to have one-track minds. _'Query, desire? Goal?'_ I hope this works.

_'Desire? Battle!' _I take a sharp breath. It feels so, so, _bloodthirsty _I nearly drop the gem.

_'Battle? With who? Killer?'_ Maybe I can satisfy it and tell the Skrill gem its killer is long dead, slain in battle by other dragons.

_'Killer long dead. Battle! Glory! Still have power, can still fight!'_ I kinda feel a Valkyrie should have taken this one to Valhalla. Though if she is still alive in there, maybe not. I decide to take a risk and show the Skrill that I'm human. Its shock comes through clearly. _'Impossible! Two-legs with memory stone? Only one.'_

I'm caught off guard. Had this dragon met Hiccup? Or did she speak of another human with a… did she call it a memory stone? That must be what dragons call gems. _'Query, who?'_

I don't have long to wait as I'm shown an image of a human figure. All I see is his back, but despite his lanky frame and apparent youth, he holds himself like a veteran. Slung on his back is some kind of crossbow, but in the pommel rests two gems. I don't know what kind, but they don't appear to be simple decoration based on the metal wires connecting the gems to an unusual cartridge loaded in the weapon. But the thing that captivates me more than his gem-powered weapon is his pointy ears. _'Two-legs sharp-ears is strong. Turns memory stones into weapons. Make me into weapon, enter battle, earn glory in blood.'_

Two-legs sharp-ears? I remember some tales of the citizens of Alfheim. The elves are known to have pointy ears. Perhaps this two-legs sharp-ears is an elf of some kind. Knowing this is going to take some deliberation, I return the Skrill gem to its shelf, but not before sending assurances that I will return. I go to bed, thinking about the mysterious two-legs sharp-ears and what he could mean for not just Hiccup and me, not even Berk, but the archipelago as a whole

* * *

Thankfully I return to the village before anyone notices I'm gone. But what does surprise me is half an hour after returning home, Astrid knocks on my door impatiently. I can tell it's her because I can sense her frustration and, oddly enough, a sort of giddiness uncharacteristic of her. I open the door and step back as Astrid enters my house and shuts the door behind her.

"Hi, come in, make yourself comfortable, " I say sarcastically but Astrid is too preoccupied with something else.

"Hiccup." Astrid looks me in the eyes. "Have any dragons, living or gem, mentioned an individual that can be best translated as 'two-legs sharp-ears'?" I'm shocked by the name, especially considering how similar it is to Toothless's nickname for me. Astrid sees my shock and assumes it's a yes. "So you've heard of him, too? Which gem was it?"

I take a moment to review my half-truth and give her an answer. "I haven't heard any dragons use that name before. But the Night Fury called me something that can best be interpreted as 'two-legs sharp-eyes' before he left." My hand drifts up to the gem on my forehead. "Is it possible another human has fused with a dragon?" The implications of such a thing could mean many different things, good and bad. "What was the dragon's opinion of two-legs sharp-ears?"

Astrid frowns, obviously disturbed by what she'd learned. "The dragon sees him as a fearsome opponent." She thinks for a moment. "Actually, I don't think he's human, all I got was an image of his back. Here, I'll try and show you." Astrid closes her eyes, and a few seconds later I get an image of an individual with a unique weapon and pointy ears. I don't see his face but his head is long and narrow. His hair is dark brown. But what really catches my eye is his weapon. This man wields a crossbow with two memory stones imbedded in the wood. From the appearance, I'm guessing they must be a Gronckle and a Deadly Nadders' gems. Either they act as some kind of magical reservoirs to be drawn upon, or maybe contain enchantments used to further enhance his weapon. Either way, with this new information, schematics for new gem-powered weapons are being crafted in my mind. Astrid clutches her head, hunching over, and I stop thinking about designing new weapons.

"Geez, Hiccup, what did you just do?" Astrid rubs her temples. "All those complex thoughts are hard to take in. It makes my head hurt."

"My bad." I'll do those calculations later. "Looks like I'm going to need to find a way to keep my thoughts to myself. You, as well, probably." The idea that other humans, especially Vikings, could read my mind is not a comforting possibility. "Anyway, since there are a few hours before class starts, could you grab the Skrill gem and meet me in the forge?"

"Sure, what do you need it for?"

"I'm going to try and replicate the work of two-legs sharp-ears."

* * *

I'm not sure how Hiccup plans to design these new dragon weapons, but if anyone on Berk can do it, it's him. When I walk into the forge, gem in hand, it takes a moment to find Hiccup's corner of the building. I can tell it's his because of all the schematics.

I offer the gem. "Careful, she's temperamental."

Hiccup looks up from his drawing and smiles at me. "She?"

It takes a moment before I remember yesterday's conversation. "Point taken." Something else Hiccup said yesterday comes to mind. "Hiccup, you said yesterday that you can't help but see dragons as living individuals now, right?" His smile changes from know-it-all to a mix of relief and gratitude. Like I'm assisting him with a heavy burden. (Though now that I think about it, that's exactly what's going on.)

"Considering they have their own religion, I'd say so." What? When di- nope. I'll figure that out later. "Glad you know where I'm coming from." Hiccup holds the gem in his palm. "I'm going to talk to her for a bit. If Gobber comes by, give me a heads up." Hiccup closes his eyes and goes to work.

While they are… talking... thinking… to one another, I decide to snoop a bit while Hiccup's in deep meditation. I quickly realize that the most I can understand from Hiccup's manuscripts are their function and nothing else. After about a minute or so of looking at some circular item with way too many parts to follow, I find one of Hiccup's journals. Inside the journal is a drawing of... some sort of sail? Or is it a rudder? It almost looks li-

"What are you doing?" I turn around fast enough to nearly get whiplash. Hiccup is done talking to the Skrill and is staring at me. He appears rather irritated, though I definitely would be, too, if someone snooped through my stuff.

"I was looking at some of your schematics. It's kinda hard to miss them." I gesture to the room, whose walls are covered in diagrams. "This one just caught my eye. Is it some sort of rudder?"

"You could say that." He puts the journal in his vest. Wait! I look down at my hand where the book had been. My hand is still open as though holding it. "I got the Skrill's permission to use her gem in a weapon. It'll take some time to design and I need supplies. I'll need a variety of metals to see which kind is better suited to what I have in mind." Hiccup keeps mumbling about materials he will need to construct a weapon capable of harnessing lightning. That thought catches me off guard.

"Hiccup." He looks at me. "You do realize you're basically attempting to build a weapon on par with Mjolnir, right?"

Hiccup looks at me blankly before he chuckles. "I suppose I am."

* * *

After drawing up several designs for a sword imbued with lightning, Astrid and I make our way to dragon training. As we walk into the arena, Astrid starts rubbing her temples.

_"I can hear them." _Astrid projects to me, not wanting to talk about this subject with the other teens nearby.

_"I think we're dealing with the Deadly Nadder today. Try scratching her under the chin, it makes them go limp."_

_"Good to know. I'll try it today."_ Before Gobber opens the cage, he places several random objects around the arena.

"Today is about stealth. When ye encounter a dragon somewhere other than a battlefield, ye want to be able tae sneak up on th' beast." Gobber lifts a large barrel of rather potent plants and dumps the contents on us and spreads the stuff across the arena. "This way th' beast will hae a harder time sniffin' ye out. Try tae make things more even, ye see? Now find places tae hide at th' edges of th' ring an' I'll let th' beast out."

Gobber makes sure to have the twins on opposite sides of the ring and lets the rest of us hide wherever. Fishlegs is having trouble due to his… Viking girth. Snotlout tries to hide close to Astrid, but she stops him before he can say a word. "I'll not have my position compromised by your incessant half-baked attempts at flirting." She does a shooing motion with her hand to get him away. "Now go."

Snotlout, realizing that now might not be a good time, (for once) hides in another part of the ring.

_"So what should we do?"_ Astrid projects to me. I'm on the other side of the ring but I can hear her clearly.

_"Okay, I want to try something."_ I take a moment to send my plan to Astrid. _"I'll do all the mental work. __Y__ou do what you can while she's distracted."_

_"Understood," _Astrid replies just as Gobber releases the Nadder. Her squawks are very bird-like and I can sense her irritation. The plants are working, but the dragon's guard is up more than usual because of this new setting.

Once the Nadder is near the center of the ring, I project an image of Astrid near the gate. She quickly focuses all her attention there, allowing Astrid to move closer. Unfortunately, Snotlout makes some noise moving to his next target hiding place. Once the Nadder sees him, she chases my cousin right to the gate, where he escapes.

"Snotlout, you're out." Once my cousin is no longer in view, the dragon forgets about him and starts searching around the gate for Astrid. Once she faces the other side of the ring, I create an image of me going from one barrier to another. Thinking she sees me, she lunges for the barricade and perches on it, radiating shock and frustration at my disappearance.

What the Nadder doesn't see is Astrid right behind her, who uses the opportunity to set down her ax, crawl under the dragon, and scratch her chin, making the blue dragon collapse.

Thankfully she gets out of the way before the dragon falls on her. "The Nadder's down!" Astrid calls up to Gobber, who stares in shock at her performance. In fact, all the teens stare at her. As we all come out from hiding, Astrid looks at me. "Care to help with this?"

"All right." Hefting one wing each, we carry the dragon to her cage. It's surprising how light Deadly Nadders are. As we leave, Astrid gets showered with praise.

"Your stealth is amazing!"

"How did you do that?"

"Girl, you need to show me a thing or two."

Before it becomes too much, Astrid does something none of the other teens expect. "You should really be complimenting Hiccup for his strategy, I just carried it out." Everyone's gaze goes from Astrid to me. Luckily I am already out the gate and running before they can crowd me.

I have a head start and am not hindered by heavy items. At least not until I make my way to the forge and retrieve a solo tailfin for Toothless. The spines on his tail have grown big enough that he can fly on his own now. I'm excited, but also nervous. What if, after this, he doesn't want to form the Shade Fury again? Or worse, leaves me entirely. It's at this moment I realize how important Toothless is to me. He's become a pillar for me to stand on. Someone who will always be there for me, through thick and thin. I've been able to complete the first half of my song. I hope he likes the finished product.

As I slide into the canyon, Toothless stares at me and the item in my hands. _"Is that what I think it is?"_

I smile. "Yup, it's your solo fin. Now you won't have to stay in this cramped sinkhole waiting for me." Toothless looks at the fin, then at me.

_"Something's wrong."_ He stares at me, full of concern.

I frown. "You'll still want to see me, right?"

Toothless tilts his head. _"__W__hy wouldn't I?"_

"I mean, I shot you down. I'm the reason you couldn't fly on your own for so long. I feel like you should resent me." _"Like everyone else I know."_ This last part comes out unsaid, but Toothless hears it nonetheless, and he doesn't like it one bit.

_"Hiccup, put the fin on for me__,_ _would you?"_ Toothless sounds serious. I quickly do so. _"Good. Now, this is something I've put off long enough."_ Toothless trips me with his tail and looms over me. Then he grabs my shoulders and takes off. Once in the air, he holds me tightly to his chest with all four legs. I haven't flown as me since the first attempt with the tail.

_"Toothless__,_ _what are you doing?!"_ I shout at him mentally. He looks down at me.

_"Hiccup, nobody appreciates you in your village. The two-legs big-horns don't see your sharp eyes__,_ _only your lack of horns. Nobody there loves you. They call you _useless!_" _The Night Fury's anger is nearly palpable. _"They don't want you? Well, as far as I'm concerned, they don't deserve you. It's time you live with those who will see your genius and praise it."_

I've got a bad feeling about this. _"Toothless, where are you taking me? And to whom?"_

_"I'm taking you home. The Queen will love having you in the nest."_

* * *

**So Hiccup is heading for the Nest, things are sure to get intense. What will _this_ Queen think of Hiccup?**

**Stephen51991: ****Hopefully, the wall of text doesn't return. Sorry again about that. **

**Fanreader26: Glad to, ****I know how painful text walls are.**

**Deadly Bagel: I think I fixed all the addressed plot holes. let me know if you step in another. Hopefully, she'll soon start to see dragons the way Hiccup does. You'd have to be super dense not to. (then again, these are Vikings.)**

**The next chapter is one I've rewritten several times to try and get right. hope you'll like it.**


	9. Tannski: Part 1

**I make a few references to the Voluspa. Thanks again to my editor for her help in creating the dragon mythology. **

* * *

I can tell how nervous Hiccup is even without our mental connection. (He's shaking all over, and not from the cold.) As we fly towards the nest, I try to reassure Hiccup about the Queen.

_"You have no reason to be afraid, Hiccup. The Queen is a wise and just ruler of the nest. She will put your skills to good use. Maybe you could even show us how to hunt better so we won't have to raid the two-legs big-horns' nests."_

Hiccup seems to realize something. _"In all the time I've known you, I've never asked you about the Queen. Who is she exactly? You obviously have a high opinion of her."_

I think about providing an image, but he should see her magnificence in person. _"The Queen is our sole guardian against those who attack our nest. I'm sure you've heard of the fog surrounding it, right?"_

_"I have. My dad calls it Helheim's gate."_

_"Well, the mist is a spell of the Queens making. The fog hides a barrier that causes intruders to lose their sense of direction. They wander in circles for a few hours before they get bored and leave. Or something like that. I'm not entirely sure how it works. All I know is that you need a memory stone to find your way through."_

Hiccup contemplates this. _"So if, hypothetically, you were to lead someone without a memory stone to the general area, would they be able to follow you in?"_

_"I believe so. Some prey manages to survive on its journey to the nest, Why?" _What is Hiccup thinking?

_"Hypothetically, if a Viking were to use a dragon as a guide, would they find the nest?"_

I scoff at this. _"Why would any dragon lead the enemy to our home? It would likely lead to the deaths of all the invaders, and the traitor wouldn't ever get the chance to be reborn." _As if the Vikings could take down the Queen. Hiccup might with time and resources, but this will ensure that won't happen.

Hiccup seems piqued by something else I just said, though. _"Reborn?"_

That's right, Hiccup and his people have their own idea of how the world is made. _"You have your ideas for how humans and the world were born, right? Something about a tree and a giant?"_

_"Yes, we believe the world, Midgard, is the corpse of the giant Ymir, and growing from that corpse is a tree connected to eight other worlds."_

I look down at Hiccup. _"Seriously? How does that even make sense?"_

He tries to shrug his shoulders, but since I'm holding them, it looks like his head is bobbing instead. _"In some arcane way too advanced for us to understand? All I know is that's what I've been told all my life. How do you believe dragons came into being?"_

I pause to consider what words I should use. I've never had to explain our beliefs to anyone who wasn't also a dragon. To make things clearer I make sure to provide images along with my commentary. _"Well, we don't really know how the world came into being. Some think the land was a desolate place, ravaged by a cataclysmic war that killed all life on, in, and around it. During this period of emptiness, the land began to yearn to have new life on it again. So to do this, it sprouted great mountains that could breathe fire."_

_"You mean volcanoes?" _Hiccup asks. So he's heard of them. That makes things easier.

_"Yes, these volcanoes don't spew fire often. Usually, several lifetimes pass between eruptions. But when they do erupt, the fire and earth they spew creates a black cloud. Within this cloud, it is chaos. Earth and sky fighting in a great, uh what's the phrase I'm looking for? Oh! It's a cataclysmic maelstrom. And from this chaos the first dragons were born. Some say live adult dragons flew out of the storm, but personally, I think eggs were formed and fell to the ground, which hatched after all the chaos was over."_

Hiccup was silent for a while, thinking over the story I had told him. _"That's one interesting origin story. Did all dragons come from that eruption?"_

_"No, it was some old race of dragons that are now extinct. But supposedly, if there is a strong enough eruption, a brand new species of dragon will emerge. In fact, Gronckles have a particular volcano from which they believe the first of their species emerged."_ I provide an image of a rather stony landscape. _"The location is far west of here. There are several other volcanoes from which various dragon species are said to have come from."_

_"Hey, Toothless, as fascinating as the idea of a post Ragnarok society is, could you continue telling me more about the Queen, please?"_

I sigh but agree that we had gotten a bit off-topic. It was just so exciting being able to talk about the origin of all dragons with someone like Hiccup. It makes so much more sense then that ridiculous story about a tree and a giant. _"Right. Anyway, the Queen makes the fog barrier around the nest. In exchange for the protection of living in her domain, we feed her, as she exerts most of her energy to maintain the barrier. She is also the one who raised me." _I try not to have flashbacks that Hiccup could pick up on. _"I hatched in the nest, my egg having been found abandoned. The Queen did her best to raise me herself with the help of several other loyal dragons. When other dragons went on raids, she didn't want me going at first. She wants me to become part of her, her…"_ I struggle to find the right word. "_Hey, Hiccup, what's a good word for a group of advisors?"_

_"I believe you mean council."_ Hiccup provides an image of several two-legs big-horns in a room, discussing a variety of problems and how to solve them.

_"Yeah, council. Anyway, the Queen wants me to be a part of her council one day. She ultimately decided my having battle experience would help test me and make me worthy of such an honor. But when she finally let me join in the fray, she had me do long-distance fighting. She felt I was too important to fight tooth and claw."_

_"Good move on her part. Not knowing what a Night Fury looks like makes you all the scarier."_

I chuckle at this. _"I actually realized that only a few days ago, when we shared memories. Unholy offspring of lightning and death itself? Not gonna lie, my ego was well fed that day."_

_"Yeah, I noticed."_ Hiccup is quiet for a few minutes. I can tell that he is thinking hard about everything I have revealed to him. Finally, hesitantly, as if trying out a new idea, he asks, _"Toothless, you said earlier that dragons were born from volcanoes, right? Is that why memory stones are thrown into lava? A ritual to return them to the source?"_

What is Hiccup talking about? Dragons don't throw their memory stones into volcanoes. I don't get a chance to correct him before we are entering a thick fog.

_"We're here."_ As I fly through the fog, I hold Hiccup tighter to my chest. Especially as I see other dragons hauling in their own goods. I see a Nightmare carrying a sea-prey of some kind. There's also a lone Zippleback carrying it's dead counterpart's corpse. She must hope for a rebirth, as a Gronckle next to her is carrying enough for two. I'm brought out of my speculations when a familiar dragon spots me.

_'Night wing alive, joy, relief.' _The individual who recognizes me is a Monstrous Nightmare with blue scales instead of the usual red. She is carrying a lightly scorched bull. _'Query, where were you?'_

_"Long story." _I quickly realize I just used human language and quickly adjust. _'Shot down, broke free, injured, healed, potential ally.'Its's_ here she notices the very alive human with a memory stone I'm carrying.

_'Query, two-legs big-horns, bears memory stone?'_

_'Not two-legs big-horns, he's two-legs sharp-eyes. Potential ally. Healed me, helped me, returning favor.'_

She looks at Hiccup. _'Query, listening?'_

Hiccup responds to this. _'Yes, I understand, I hear. Greetings.'_ He makes sure to emphasize that he can hear her.

She forgets to flap her wings and descends a few feet before righting herself. _'Query, tell me?'_

The fog parts and we can see the nest. _'Explain later.' _I look down at Hiccup. _"We're here."_

* * *

Whenever I would think of the dragons' nest, I'd visualize rocky outcroppings with several ledges. Maybe rivers of lava and brimstone flowing miles below them. So I'm somewhat satisfied when I see the only thing that needs updating is the ominous red fog swirling far below us. That may be where I would find the lava river. There's certainly a less than faint odor of brimstone recommending the possibility. As I observe the nest and update my expectations, Toothless lands on one of the stone outcroppings, giving me a view of the dragons dropping all the food they have collected into the red fog below. I even see the unfused Zippleback from earlier drop its dead companion into the red void.

I peer over the edge, but can't see anything except endlessly swirling fog and a steady stream of dragons dropping fish, sheep, and other livestock into a crater. The dropped prey disappears instantly, swallowed by the slightly menacing ocean of fog. "Well, it's satisfying to know all our food has been dropped down a hole."

_"Patience, Hiccup, all will be made clear momentarily." _Just as Toothless says this, an injured Gronckle flies over the pit and regurgitates, yes, _regurgitates _a fish of some kind. I can't tell what from the distance but based on the size it's a rather small morsel. (In fact, I think it is only half a fish.)

_'Injured… weak…' W_hat is that? The Gronckle must have heard it too, for it tries to quickly fly upwards. _'Can't go on… reincarnation required…' A_ pair of massive jaws shoot out from the fog and engulf the Gronckle. That may sound far-fetched, but when I say massive, I mean that its scales could be fashioned into shields. This thing is that big. It's sinking back into the fog but stops and looks at us, at _me_.

_'Queen.' _Toothless bows to the dragon. _This_ is the Queen?! No wonder they have to raid villages to feed her. I can only see her head and It's obvious a herd of cattle would only be an appetizer. _'I've returned, healed, bring ally.' _She rises farther from the fog, but it almost seems to cling to her. Soon enough, we're looking into the six eyes of the dragon Queen. _'Two-legs sharp-eyes, friend, healed me. Name, Hiccup.' _Toothless doesn't use my name, but simply conveys its meaning to the Queen.

What the Queen does next is unexpected. _"Hiksti… unin hvat mulabra... ach ono yawë... medh Dwerva-Vaengr?"_ She can speak?! _"Uin hvat mulabra... ach ono hávr... ai eldunari?"_ I don't understand the words, but I feel more than hear the query behind them. She wants to know how I came across Toothless and why I have a gem in my forehead. She also feels… nervous? It almost feels like-

_"Let's show her our memories." _My thoughts are interrupted by Toothless as he provides the Queen with a summary of the past few weeks. The Queen looks between the two of us in shock. I also feel a sardonic amusement coming from her, but not directed at us. It must be some private joke of her's.

_"Tannlaus...?" _The Queen looks at Toothless. Where have I heard that word before? I'd heard of Hiksti too, but I can't place it. _"Thäet... ilumëo." _Her intentions are less clear this time, though Toothless seems to take this as praise. She turns to face me. _'Query… not favored... by two-legs big-horns?'_

I provide a negative._'No, not favored, seen as weak.'_

Realizing I don't understand the language she goes back to the thought speech of dragons. _'Two-legs sharp-eyes… why come?' _I'm not sure what to say to this, so I tell her my wish.

_'Desire? To belong. Love, be loved.'(") _It's the best answer I have. The Queen is silent for a long moment, mulling over this new information before coming to a decision.

_'Night-wing… alive and well… return with ally… query… join council?'_ Toothless nearly falls backward at this.

_'Honored, gratitude, query, two-legs sharp-eyes?' _Toothless looks to me.

_'Two-legs sharp-eyes… reborn… become dragon…'_ the Queen looks at me now.

_'Query, reborn?' _I'm not sure how such a thing is even possible. Plus I'm still on edge after seeing her eat that still-living Gronckle. _'Not dragon, I'm two-legs.'_

_'Have memory stone… reincarnation possible…' _I'm then shown an image of various dragons dying, the Queen eating them, and her sending their spirits to unborn dragons. But for some reason, the image is a little… off. I don't know why, but I don't believe the Queen is as benevolent as Toothless makes her out to be. The Queen starts to get impatient and sinks into the fog. _'Night-wing… drop him.'_

I'm terrified when Toothless starts pushing me towards the edge. "Toothless, what are you doing?! I'll die!"

The Night Fury looks at me quizzically. _"You'll be fine, Hiccup. I've met other dragons who've been reincarnated. It's true."_

I rack my brain for an explanation. Then I remember the day after our first flight. "Toothless, you once told me my ideas look so realistic they can be confused for memories? Well, I think that's what's going on here. The Queen is using fabricated memories to manipulate everyone."

Toothless is shocked by the accusation. _"Why would she do such a thing? She's the one who raised me, Hiccup! For what reason would she do such kind things otherwise?"_

I look down at the mist, remembering the odd number of eyes. "I have an idea why, but if that is the case, then we need to form Shade Fury and have her move faster than the fog." I offer my hand. "Do you trust me?

Toothless is irresolute for more time than I would like. I don't blame him though. I'm basically asking him to choose between the dragon who raised him and the human who shot him down and didn't even have the stomach to kill him. As I lose all hope of survival, Toothless presses his snout into my palm. _"I trust you, partner of life."_

We fuse, and the Queen is _not_ happy.

* * *

**So here's the Queen, I tried doing something different than the usual source of all evil variant I see in most stories.**

**Fanreader26: How was it? was it what you were expecting? if not there's more to come.**

**Umbra Lycan: Unfortunately she's still evil. I just wanted to try a scenario where the dragons thought she was good.**

**Zeky: I'm undecided whether or not to give the Queen a redemption arc, some parts of her might, but not others.**

**To those curious, the language the Queen speaks is the Inheritance cycle's Ancient Language with some old Norse filling in the gaps. Let me know what you think of her.**


	10. Tannski: Part 2

**Took longer than I would prefer, but here's chapter ten.**

* * *

I look down at the Queen, who is shocked, and now angry, if not outright appalled by my existence. I have enough time to grab my clothes and the solo fin before she lunges at me, going incorporeal and launching myself straight up as she lunges for me. As I fly up, my binocular pair of eyes face forward while my monocular eyes look behind me at the Queen, who is climbing up the nest in an attempt to grab me. The rest of the dragons scatter. The Queen attempts to seize me in her jaws, snagging an unlucky Zippleback fusion instead. She rears up in rage, leaving the fog long enough for me to see her torso. What I see is a roundish gem on her left shoulder, along with two triangular gems in the middle of her chest. (Kind of occupying the space where Toothless's gem is.) Seeing this, I have all the proof I need. The Queen is not one large dragon, she's a fusion. A cross fusion just like me. She always told Toothless such things were impossible.

She lied to him, to _me_.

Before I escape the nest, she shouts up at me, _"ONO WEOHNATA NÉIAT FLAUGA... HICSTI UN TANNLAUS!... IET SKULBLAKA WEOHNATA FINNA ONO UN GATH ONO APTR!... ONO ERU IET TANNLAUS!... HIKSTI WEOHATA ELDRVADÍ WIOL TAKA TANNLAUS!"_

I don't understand the words but the declaration is understood. Hiccup will suffer for taking Toothless from her. As I fly into the mist, I look for a good place to land. Ultimately I decide on a particular sea stack with an overhang and perch beneath it. This will provide cover from any dragons flying overhead. I sit down on the outcropping, weighing my options. So the Queen is a gigantic cross fusion of at least three gems, but possibly more. She has declared that Hiccup is to be killed on sight, (how ironic.) Even more curious now, I sift through memories of my, or rather, Toothless's life, becoming more and more appalled at the detailed lies constructed in an effort to have us submit to her! How are we going to get out of this one?

"Easy, lad, you're doing great." The human voice distracts me from my moping as I look down to see a heavily damaged Viking ship and several two-legs big-horns trying to work around one another in the cramped space. But the voice belongs to an individual both halves of me recognize.

"Stoick!" Another Viking calls to my… is he my father? What is our relation? Questions for later as I observe Stoick join several other Vikings in cannibalizing another ship to repair the broken one.

"How are we doing?" He asks Spitelout, Snotlout's dad.

"Not very good. We don't have the proper materials to repair the ship. We could try to find other broken ships, gods know dozens have been lost here, but I doubt anyone is willing to even attempt traversing these waters." He gestures to the murky, almost black seas. "But we may not have a choice soon."

My… how about half-father? Yeah, that works for now. My half-father sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. (So it's not just Hiccup who triggers that reaction.) "If push comes to shove, I'll lead a team to scavenge materials."

So the Vikings of Berk need more supplies to repair their ship? I take a moment to weigh my options. The Vikings are in a desperate situation; in an area they don't know and can't easily traverse. They could try and kill me if they see me, but I can easily hide or go incorporeal. Finding my resolve, I fly up to the tallest sea spire in hopes that the fog will hide me, and shout down at the dragonslayers. "You lot okay down there?" I'm sure I could have come up with a better greeting, but none really came to mind. At least they know to look up.

"Who's there?" Stoick shouts peering suspiciously in all directions, as if an ax-wielding berserker was about to come charging out of the fog, in spite of the somewhat friendly greeting.

"A potential ally if you take the time to ask questions." Not sure why I said that at first. Then I remember a human phrase: shoot first, ask questions later.

I hear a brief chuckle as some people get the joke. Stoick is not amused, however. "If you're an ally, come down here so we can talk."

Yeah, I'm not going to do that just yet. "I'm not in the mood to get stabbed, so I'll stay up here thank you very much." The Vikings who laughed before stay quiet this time, and an eerie silence falls over the ship. "Just tell me what you need to repair your ships and I'll try and find the materials."

Several Vikings seem skeptical of this, but my half-father knows not to look a gift yak in the mouth. "Very well, stranger. We have most of the materials here, but we've run out of pitch and tar to seal the crevices in the ships. Any you find will be helpful, plus we'd be grateful for any rope you might find."

"Very well." Knowing what to look for, I start hopping from one sea stack to another so the sound of my travel is carried to the Berkians below me. Once far enough away, I glide around through the mist, making sure to keep the Viking's position in mind.

The first wreck I find is only half a ship, the rest probably under the black waters. I check it for materials and only find a few dozen feet of intact rope and a knapsack to carry my clothes and fin. I coil it up and carry it with me. The next two ships are more fruitful, both having a bucket half full of either tar or resin. But my fourth find is a much bigger bounty. Ship number four is mostly intact. Aside from the torn sail and the broken railing, it appears more seaworthy than the other wrecks. The only problem is that it's wedged firmly between a couple of the sea stacks, hanging above the water. I'm not sure how to get it down, so I put my materials aside to examine the situation.

The ship is at an angle of one hundred and thirty degrees facing down. It appears to be caught on the stern, which is hooked to a sea stack. That explains why it's staying up there, at least. (Though how it got there I haven't the faintest idea.) I formulate a plan to get the ship down. First, I collect as much rope as I can, using it to hoist the ship to a ninety-degree angle. This is done with my combined strength and a series of pulleys. It's hard work and time consuming. Eventually, the ship is in the water, banged up but still floating.

With the boat in the water, I sail towards Stoick and the Vikings of Berk. "I think I can do you one better, Stoick!" I hail them. Too late, I realize that they can see me. One overeager Viking lifts his ax and throws it at me. I quickly turn incorporeal, grab my stuff, and fly up to the sea stacks. "I think you can understand why I was reluctant to show my face." There is one thing that might buy me some time, though. I don't want to use the Queen's methods, but it's the best chance I have. "I invoke Odin's rights of hospitality. If you wish to use this ship, you must follow the rights observed by the gods."

Several Vikings freeze, not believing what they just heard. Stoick scowls and grumbles before sourly giving the proper response. "I and my company accept your hospitality, and will obey guest rights as observed by the gods." He really has no choice if he wants to make it back to Berk in one piece, and he knows it. Vikings grudgingly stow their weapons and wait while I come back down. I return to the sailing vessel and steer closer to Stoick. When close enough, he hops onto the boat and stares at me. "Mind if I ask how a dragon knows my people's rights? And, for that matter, how can you speak?"

He might be bending the rules of hospitality, but this is an unusual circumstance. "I know your customs and language because I learned them. I overheard your skalds tell stories of Odin, king of the gods, and the various adventures of his pantheon." If I keep emphasizing the Norse pantheon, my invocation may appear more valid.

One Viking scoffs at my story. "If you know our history so well, you must be familiar with Loki, who played friend and slew other guests."

I tense even more. "If I wanted to hurt you, I could have easily burned you and yours to cinders, but I'm not going to do any such thing. You know why?" They glance uneasily at one another but no one speaks. I doubt any of them have encountered a talking dragon before. "Because our goals are aligned."

Stoick looks skeptical. I don't blame him, though. It's his job to be suspicious. "You want to find and destroy the nest so the dragons will leave?"

I believe it would be best if I explain my goal here and now. "No, not quite, I want the Queen to disperse and stop manipulating other dragons into serving her. Plus, she abhors my very existence so there's that, too." At the mention of the Queen and the possible reason for the war, the Vikings begin quiet mutterings to one another.

"Why would this Queen want you dead, dragon?" Stoick is now right in front of me and cranes his neck up. He's not used to doing that. "And why come to us? Those who have made our livelihood by killing your kind."

I smirk, "the Queen is a hypocrite who does not want me to be together. I'm sure you've noticed my memory stones?" I point to the seven-faceted one on my forehead and the crescent-shaped one on my chest. "I'm a cross fusion, formed from two different creatures. I'm an abomination as far as other dragons are concerned." I rub Toothless's memory stone and a faint blue glow delete emits from it. "The Queen wants my heart to make herself more powerful, and wants my head to suffer for stealing him." I squat down so I'm at eye level with my half-father. "I know you don't kill my kind for sick pleasure. Like me, you want the war to end. So, seeing several Vikings stuck in the fog, I saw a golden opportunity to fight back."

By now, most of the Vikings are on the new ship and repairing whatever damage they can. "So you'd be willing to lead us to the nest?" Several Vikings, though battered, were are still bloodthirsty.

I chuckle. "Do you really think you can do anything in your current state? Sorry,;but I'm not going to lead you to your deaths. Do what humans do best and prepare for the battle." Some are angered by my teasing, but Stoick seems to understand. "In the meantime, let's leave the fog behind. The Queen's spell is still strong." Since I'm near the rudder, I turn the boat to exit the fog.

Stoick, making sure everyone else behaves, turns to face me. "What can you tell us about this dragon Queen?"

I filter through Toothless's memories to find a proper description. "When I say she's a large dragon, I mean so large her scales are around the size of your shields." I pick up one of said shields to emphasize the fact. "It's why the dragons raid your villages, so she has enough food to sustain her form."

"What do you mean by 'sustain her form'?"

"I mean the Queen is a cross fusion, like me. The difference,however, is that she is formed from more than two dragons." I think about her size and try to add things up. "I'd estimate at least seven of the larger breeds, if not more."

Several Vikings mutter, some in despair, but others in odd excitement. "How exactly would we defeat such a foe? It sounds like an extremely strong beast."

Weighing my options, I decide to let slip some confidential information. "There might be a way, but it's not easy." They all stare at me now. "If you weren't already aware of it, lightning can dissipate fusions, breaking them down to their component individuals. If you can find a way to harness lightning, you may be able to take her down."

Several groans are my response. "We don't have access to the weapon of Thor. How else can we fight her?" Someone calls from the crowd. I see it is Magnus.

"Maybe you can't, but there are others who can and have bent lightning to their will. The Skrills, for example." When I mention that deadly breed, there are mutterings of the Berserker tribe. I stand and see we are almost out of the fog. "As fun as this has been, I must now leave. I wish you all good luck getting back to Berk." I stretch my wings and am about to take off, but Stoick stops me.

"Before you go, dragon, what's your name?" I'm caught off guard by this. Is Stoick really taking a chance with me?

"I call my mixed breed the Shade Fury." There are many gasps at my declaration, probably making a connection to the Night Fury. Then I remember what the Queen called my components. I decide to take a page from the Viking book. "But you all may call me Tannski."

I take off into the skies, leaving the bewildered Vikings behind. I can't help but smile when I overhear mutterings of the Shade Fury Tannski with great optimism.

* * *

**So Stoick has met Tannski and the Queen is a cross fusion. What will the rest of Berk think?**

**Umbra Lycan: I have a few ideas, but I would like to hear yours.**

**Fanreader26: So the Queen is evil. that's something that didn't change, but I'm on the fence as for a redemption arc.**

**Majorminor2242: Ive learned the hard way that bigger is not always better.**

**Grimreaper10209: Not in any spiritual sense, no.**

**Let me know what you think, next chapter Toothless is going to have an existential crisis.**


	11. Lies a Warrior

**Here's chapter eleven. Its a shorter chapter than normal but we deal with some seriously emotional stuff here.**

* * *

The sun is setting when Toothless and I return to the canyon and unfuse from the Shade Fury, or rather, Tannski. The good news is that my father is okay and will probably be back home in a week or two. The bad news is I've personally enraged the Queen of the dragons, who is probably sending raiding parties to other villages in hopes of finding me. Great, the next raid on Berk is going to be all my fault.

But my mental breakdown is nothing compared to the crisis Toothless is going through. _"I can't believe we just did that. Hiccup, why did we do that?!" _

"Why did we deny the Queen? Well, for one, she wanted to eat me. The reincarnation thing may be mostly about gems being thrown into volcanoes but I don't think any two-legs would ever come back as a dragon, no matter how many memory stones he had. I'm pretty sure she warped that particular religion to suit her needs. Lastly, she doesn't have to consume so much food. If she's a fusion, she can unfuse to eat. I mean, that's what we do."

Toothless keeps trying to defend her, not that I blame him. She raised him, groomed him to be loyal and always by her side. In all but blood she has been his mother. _"Maybe this is just one big misunderstanding. Yeah, if we just go talk to her we can-"_

"No!" I quickly sit up, the wind hitting my bare back, and grab the sides of Toothless's head. "Toothless, she's ordered a _death_ sentence on me. I've been labeled 'kill on sight.' It's not like we can just waltz back into the nest and expect her to hear us out."

Toothless's fearful expression slowly turns to one of anger and he starts growling. _"Of course, _you _can't return there, and I can't go anywhere without you thanks to this!"_ The angry dragon slaps me with his injured tail. I fall right into the pond, soaking my kilt. The water is freezing and I bite back a yelp of shock, not wanting to further annoy the fearsome Night Fury. Toothless follows this by shooting several plasma blasts at the canyon walls, though none are aimed in my direction. After using up most of his remaining soul-fire, he falls to the ground, exhausted. _"What have I done?"_

Seeing the anger is mostly cinders now, I stand up, wringing most of the water from my kilt, and sit at Toothless's side. He's too busy sulking to notice me. "I've found that complaining helps in most situations. Care to tell me who, where, and what went wrong?"

The Night Fury looks me in the eye. _"Where do I even start?"_

I rub his ear plate. "How about the beginning? Or whatever bugs you the most."

It takes him a moment to find the start. _"So it starts when you shot me down. __That was o__ne of the single most painful_ _and humiliating __moments in my life._ _A puny little two-legs big-horns might be able to defeat a Monstrous Nightmare or a Hideous Zippleback, but never a Night Fury. At least, that's what the Queen always told me. __Then you spare me and the world is no longer us and them. Then we fuse, something that should not be possible! Things start to get better when I slowly start to see you as an exception to the rule__. A__ll __other __two-legs big-horns remain__ed_ _evil,_ _but you were different._ _But when I take __you __to the nest (where you would be appreciated) the Queen, the one who __raised me as her son__, turns out to be the bad guy who might be the sole reason for this stupid war's existence! Then add salt to the wound when the Vikings, including one Stoick the Vast, renowned dragon slayer, __is __willing to hear us out when the Queen wouldn't even give us the time of day!" _Toothless takes a moment to breathe, despite the fact he isusing the dragon thought-speech. _"And the worst part is, __even after __all those years in the nest, I was too much of a coward to confront her."_

That last bit catches me off-guard. "You, cowardly? Sorry but I don't see it."

He looks at me. _"Whenever I've killed something, its always been at a distance. But with you, well, it was the first time I could look into my victim's eyes and see the fear and acceptance of death. I kept telling myself I was simply returning the favor, but now I see that I was just too afraid to kill you. Even now, I don't want to confront the Queen. I want to __smooth t__hings __over __with her. I can see she's the bad guy in this scenario__,_ _but I keep making excuses for her!"_ Toothless turns his head to look at me. _"In the nest, when she heard my name was Toothless, she thought it was fitting, not because of some physical traits unique to my breed, but because she knows I've been the cowardly sort all my life!"_ He puts his paws over his head, covering his eyes. _"You both were right. I am just a Toothless reptile." _This last bit comes out as a sob. Tears, actual _tears_ are leaking from under his paw-covered eyes.

I'm struck speechless by Toothless's confession. Toothless, the Night Fury. The same dragon who spared the enemy who personally crippled him. Who not only stood up to the Queen, but stood up for said useless Viking who crippled him.

Except, I'm not seen as useless by him. To Toothless, I'm a force to be reckoned with. One that all dragons should fear, and now, thanks to the Queen, I'm the ultimate prize. Just like Toothless is for Vikings all over the archipelago.

The fearsome two-legs sharp-eyes, who finds your every weakness and exploits it, a useless Viking.

The mighty Night Fury, the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself, a cowardly dragon.

Laughter bubbles up from my gut, so much so that Toothless stops crying into his paws and looks at me. _'Why are you laughing hysterically? Is my shame amusing?'_

Still giggling, I offer my train of thought. "I'm laughing at the irony bud." I gesture to us both. "We're both ridiculed by our fellows and acknowledged by our enemies. The worst of both worlds, if you will. The useless Viking and the cowardly dragon. What a pair we make!" My laughter dies down at the end, but Toothless just stares at me, waiting to see if I've finished my mad tangent.

When he's sure I'm done, he repositions himself so he's looking directly at me. _"Hiccup__,_ _you're in no way useless-"_

"Exactly!" I interrupt him. "Toothless, when I entered the canyon for the first time all those weeks ago, you, a starving dragon, didn't simply attack me and take the fish, you gave me a chance to get to know you. You, as gross as it was, offered food in return even though you'd been going hungry. When I offered my trust, you did the brave thing and opened yourself up to being hurt. As far as I'm concerned, you're one of the bravest individuals, human or dragon, I've ever met!" I remember the song I was working on for Toothless. "In fact, there's something I've been working on. I hope you like it."

I find a boulder to sit on, clear my throat and mind, and begin by projecting a few harmonizing notes from my memory stone, followed by a sort of rippling key. Then I began to sing.

"You fascinated me,

Cloaked in shadows and secrecy,

The beauty of a broken angel."

A pause. I make sure to project various notes to emphasize points in the lyrics. I also project flashes from when I first found Toothless in the canyon.

"I ventured carefully,

Afraid of what you thought I'd be,

But pretty soon I was entangled."

"You take me by the hand,

I question who I am."

Flashes of the moment before we first formed Tannski race across the intensifying tone. Which is followed by more intense reverberations.

"Teach me how to fight,

I'll show you how to win,

You're my mortal flaw,

And I'm your fatal sin,

Let me feel the sting,

The pain,

The burn,

Under my skin"

Next, I show off scenes of our first flight together. How we managed to maneuver through the sea stacks and our first time going incorporeal.

"Put me to the test,

I'll prove that I'm strong,

Won't let myself believe,

That what we feel is wrong,

I finally see what,

You knew was inside me,

All along."

The last scene I flashback to is the moment we spare and acknowledge one another as forces to be reckoned with.

"That behind this soft exterior,

Lies a warrior."

I pause, the background music and flashbacks I've been projecting no longer there. "That's all I've got so far, I wanted to finish the song before singing it to you, but I thought it best you hear what I have so far." I rub the back of my head. "I hope the music that comes with it was heard properly. I haven't tried anything like that before." I stare into his eyes. "So, what do you think?"

Toothless just stares at me for a full minute in frozen shock. I'd told him about songs before but those were from transferred memories. This was the first song he's heard in person, and delivered in such a manner, it must be quite offbeat. (No pun intended.) Eventually, he gets up and embraces me with wings and forelimbs. _"That was one of the greatest gifts I've ever received. I'm looking forward to the finished product."_ He decides to show his gratitude by licking my face. (Though not with copious amounts of saliva, thank goodness.)

"Really? You know that doesn't wash out!" I rub what little saliva there is off my face onto the grass.

Unfortunately, Toothless is not deterred. _"__S__hut up and let me show you my gratitude."_ This continues for several minutes. (Thankfully, he isn't actively drooling on me this time.)

When Toothless is finally done showering me with gratitude, (and saliva) he wraps me up with his wings. But there is something I can't get out of my head. "Toothless, earlier you called me 'partner of life.' I appreciate it, but why?"

He looks down at me. _"We may have only known each other for the span of a moon, but I've never felt closer __to_ _anyone like I am to you, and not just because you're the only one I've fused with."_ Toothless pulls me closer to him. _'You're the only one that understands me for who I am. You're not just my friend, you're the pillar that holds me up.' _ Toothless rolls onto his back so we face the sky. It's a crescent moon tonight. _'Plus__,_ _it's not one__-__sided__,_ _Hiccup. I know you've come to see me in a very similar manner, and I'm honored to be the pillar that holds you up.'_

There are no words in Norse for how I feel. So I simply project my emotions to Toothless. _'Infinite gratitude. I feel blessed.'_

Toothless simply purrs and goes to sleep. I follow suit shortly after, the moon and stars shining down on us.

* * *

**And that's chapter eleven with Toothless's mental breakdown.**

**To those curious, the song Hiccup sang to toothless is Warrior by Beth Crowley.**

**Midnott: That's basically it. I honestly don't remember what it was I wrote.**

**7sky: I would Imagine Stoick accepting dragons would be difficult right off the bat. but people do crazy things when desprate.**

**Soulinvoker: Hope you like this one too.**

**In the next chapter Stoick returns to Berk**.


	12. We Need To Talk

**Now that all the emotional stuff has gone down, lets see what Hiccup and Toothless intend to do.**

* * *

Hiccup and I sit on the cliffside, me rubbing my right palm where my new gem has grown in. While I marvel at the blue memory stone in my hand, he's busy drawing new schematics for the 'Thunder Spear.' The Skrill gem has been cooperative, but Hiccup has yet to find a proper way to safely use her.

"So to be safe, I'll insert the copper wire through a ceramic tube so that only the exposed copper tips emit a burst of lightning. I'd rather use silver; she did find that material easier to work with, but I don't have enough to use it reliably. Maybe- no. We can't just steal the material. We'll have to find suitable resources. Copper will have to do. But what if the copper wire gets overheated? Then we'll have no choice but to use silver." Hiccup switches from thought-speech to vocal-speech. "Ugh!" Hiccup flops down onto the grass. "We just don't have the resources to make a proper Thunder Spear!"

I reach over and pick up the journal to examine the illustrations of the weapon. "You do realize that harnessing the power of Thor will not be an easy task, right?"

Hiccup continues to explain out loud while I flip through the pages. "It's not about harnessing the lightning. It's about using it without getting hurt. If I wanted to, I could place the Skrill gem on one end of a spear and stab my victims. But that could only be used once, plus the lightning could strike me. I'm trying to make a reusable weapon that only zaps the guy in front of me." I flip to the earlier pages of his journal, where drawings of a two-pronged sword take up most of the page. Apparently, it would not work because the target would need to be pierced with both blades. I don't know why, but Hiccup does. So because of this, he started working on a spear instead.

"Maybe you could request some silver from Gobber, or your Dad when he gets back." I close the journal and hand it back to Hiccup. As he takes back his journal, I spy something in the distance. It almost looks like-

"Hey, Astrid! Whatcha doin' out here with Hiccup!?" We turn around to see Ruffnut and Tuffnut, both of whom are looking rather worn out. I put on my glove while Hiccup hides his journal. (Don't want them getting any ideas.)

"Ruff, Tuff." Hiccup greets the twins. "Great job in dragon training, your opponent was devastatingly crushed today." There is a hint of mockery in his tone, but the twins don't pick up on it.

"We never attacked the dragon, though." Tuffnut looks confused.

"Yeah, we only fought each other." Ruffnut smirks as though it was the goal of this morning's training.

"I know." Hiccup says it so matter-of-factly, it takes a moment for me to get the joke. But when I do, a strangled giggle comes out of my mouth before I can cover it.

Ruffnut hears it, however. "What's so-" she pauses, suddenly getting the joke. Ironically enough, so does Tuffnut. But they are not amused.

"We don't appreciate jokes made at our expense." She glares at Hiccup.

Hiccup, in an unusual fashion, keeps going. "Don't make it so easy and maybe I won't."

Tuffnut scowls and walks towards Hiccup. "Now listen here, use-" Tuffnut doesn't get to say any more before Hiccup, along with a sudden gust of wind, sends the blond boy sprawling.

Hiccup puts his arm around Tuffnut's neck in a vicious chokehold. "Call me useless. I dare you." Tuffnut, of course, isn't stupid enough to use that particular trigger word.

But he is stupid enough to keep talking. "Well, look who finally grew a-" he doesn't say anymore as Hiccup tightens his chokehold and Tuffnut goes limp. He's still breathing, (am I thankful for that? Not sure) so Ruffnut can't avenge the death of her brother.

"You got my brother to shut up." Why is she staring at Hiccup like that? "I don't know whether to avenge him or congratulate you."

Before the situation can become awkward, (well, more awkward) I point out what I saw earlier before the twins distracted me. "Hey, look, is that a ship?"

Hiccup rolls off Tuffnut and climbs to his shades his eyes and looks toward the horizon. It takes a moment for him to spot the ship in the distance. "You're right." Hiccup starts smiling. "They're alive." He releases a breath.

Ruffnut squints at the tiny ship bobbing in the ocean. "Are we sure that's one of our ships?"

Now that she mentions it, when I look again, the ship in question appears to have a blank sail. The three ships that left Berk all had some kind of motif of slain dragons sewn onto them. Could it be an enemy ship? "Let's let the villagers know. Hopefully, it is the expedition returning. But if not, we should prepare."

* * *

Thankfully it is Dad, along with the villagers (well, most of them) who went on the expedition. But I am already aware of this. Because I, meaning Tannski, helped get them that very ship. But nobody else knows this. Astrid and Ruffnut assume I'm just hopeful (I think.) We do not get a chance to tell the villagers before the signal for a sighted ship goes out. This leads to everyone going down to the docks. Some to help the survivors, others to find out who survived.

Usually, returns from yet another fruitless search for the location of the nest are a dreary affair. Mostly people doing headcounts. But this one is different. For one thing, the boat is overcrowded with Vikings. Not just that, but they're not drowning in despair. Some are even smiling, if not outright giddy.

Dad, however, is not smiling. He looks rather pensive, probably irritated by the actions taken in the recent past.

Gobber's quick to bring my father back to reality. "Well, I trust ye found the nest a' least?"

Unfortunately, reality is… well... reality. "Not even close."

"Oh, excellent." I'd say Gobber is being sarcastic, but he sounds too upbeat. He's waiting to tell dad about my recent success.

"I hope you've had a little more success than me." There's the opening Gobber is waiting for.

"Well, if by success you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then, yes." Dad looks at Gobber with concern.

Gobber, I love you, but motivational speeches aren't the only thing you need to work on.

Before I can show myself and explain Gobber's misleading of the situation, several villagers come to congratulate my father. Hopefully, they, will ensure the correction.

"Congratulations, Stoick!" Well, that statement needs clarification.

"Everyone is so relieved." Not what I meant.

"Out with the old and in with the new, right?!" Okay, maybe he'll get the right idea now.

"No one will miss that old nuisance!" That doesn't help. Now he thinks for sure something happened.

"The village is throwing a party to celebrate!" … I guess they might celebrate my disappearance.

Before Dad can truly believe I've left the village, I make my way down to the docks to help unload cargo. "Hey, Dad. Glad to see you back." I find one large chest from the pile and try to lift it, but it's too heavy.

Luckily I'm not alone. "Let me help you with that." Astrid grabs the trunk's other side and we carry it up to the storage.

"Thanks, Astrid." As we make our way up the hill, I can't help but overhear Gobber telling my dad how well I've done in training.

But Dad interrupts Gobber in the middle of his rambling. "As happy as I am to hear of my son's victories, my friend, there are more pressing matters to discuss." He looks around, making sure nobody can eavesdrop on him. (I enhance my hearing, so Dad doesn't suspect me of eavesdropping.) "Meet me in the forge at sunset."

I know he's likely to seek Gobber's counsel on Tannski. But Astrid doesn't know that. "What do you think happened?" Astrid projects to me.

"If I were to hazard a guess, either Dad has found the nest or has given up the search. Either way, something needs to be kept secret based on everyone's secretive behavior." I point out certain individuals who are acting very suspicious, and by that, I mean most of those who returned seem to be expecting a battle.

"Whatever happens, we'll be ready for it."

I look towards Astrid. "Gods I hope so," I say out loud.

* * *

I'm leaning against the forge facing the ocean.

The sun has long since set, but the view is not where my attention lies. I'm too busy focusing on the forge behind me, hoping to overhear the impending conversation between Stoick and Gobber. Hiccup is already in there, so he may become privy to the conversation. However, he might get kicked out, so I'll remain out here just in case.

I hear the heavier footsteps of Stoick entering the forge. I also hear Hiccup trying to clean up his workspace. "Dad! You're back. Gobber's in the other room, so-"

Hiccup is quickly cut off by Stoick. "He'll be here momentarily. But before he gets here, there's something we need to talk about."

"Th-there is?" I hear Hiccup's heart beat faster.

"You've been keeping secrets." Oh no.

"I- uh, I-I have?" Hiccup, get back under control this instant!

"Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?" He knows! How?! Does anyone else know about our memory stones?

Hiccup continues in vain. "I don't know what you're…"

"Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it." Hiccup stutters briefly before Stoick continues, "So, let's talk about that dragon."

I can just feel the dread flowing off Hiccup. "Oh, gods. Dad, I'm so sorry, I just didn't know how to-" Hiccup's half-formed apology falters into silence as he realizes his father is laughing. Not a mocking laugh, mind you. A bellowing laugh coming straight up from his belly. Hiccup shares a few gasping laughs full of relief. "You're not… upset?"

"What?!" I can hear the smile in his voice. "I was hoping for this!"

"Uh…" Hiccup sounds confused. "You were?" I doubt Stoick has learned about our memory stones, but I still need a moment to let the built-up tension flow out of me safely.

"And believe me it only gets better! Just wait until you spill a Nadder's guts for the first time." Okay, why did that thought make me nauseous just now? "And mount your first Gronckle head on a spear? What a feeling!" There's a thump as Hiccup is sent flying into the wall by his overjoyed father. "You really had me going there, son." There's a brief burst of joy when Hiccup hears Stoick call him son in such a proud tone. "All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen!" Hiccup's joy is quashed, replaced with a sense of irony, and I can't blame him. "Odin, it was rough. I almost gave up on you, and all the while you were holding out on me! Thor almighty!" I hear Stoick pull up a chair. "With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about." There's a pregnant pause. I certainly wouldn't need a memory stone to feel the awkward tension between the two. Stoick continues the conversation. "Oh, well, I brought you something." There's the sound of metal and Hiccup receiving something. "To keep you safe in the ring."

Hiccup finally finds his words. "Wow, thanks." What did Stoick give him?

Stoick continues, "Your mother would have wanted you to have it. It's half of her breastplate."

… What? What did Stoick just give Hiccup? There's a tinkling sound when Stoick taps what I think is his helmet. "Matching set. Keeps her close, y'know."

Before the awkward moment can continue, Gobber enters the forge. "Hello? Stoick, you wanted to see me?"

I can hear Hiccup awkwardly edging toward the door. "I should get to bed."

Stoick stops him, though. "You should,stay and hear this, Hiccup. I want to hear your opinion." Hiccup sits back down while Gobber finds a seat. "I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is dragon training will have to be delayed."

Gobber reacts louder than Hiccup. "Why? The recruits are doin' great. Your boy here may get the chance to kill the Monstrous Nightmare if Astrid doesn't find a way to outclass him soon." While I appreciate the praise, I doubt Hiccup or I can accept such an honor anymore. Especially if you consider the vibes Hiccup is unconsciously projecting.

Stoick continues, "The good news is we managed to secure a guide who will lead us to the nest."

"...What?" Gobber says. "Well, that's excellent! Is that why dragon training is being delayed? So they can join us to take down the nest? Oh, this is a great chance to be alive, Hiccup. You'll be there to lead the attack on the nest. I'm so excited for you, Hiccup!"

After Gobber calms down, Hiccup takes time to ask some questions. "Who exactly is it that's going to spearhead this latest expedition?"

Stoick sighs, almost as if he's preparing to lift some huge weight off his shoulders. "The individual willing to guide us to the nest is a dragon fusion."

...What?

Hiccup quickly and calmly continues. "Okay, first: what kind of dragon? Two: why would a dragon be willing to lead us to the nest?

Stoick takes a moment to compose himself. "This dragon, which was able to speak our tongue, called its mixed-breed a Shade Fury. But named himself Tannski."

Wait. This dragon, capable of human speech, who must be part Night Fury, is willing to lead a bunch of bloodthirsty Vikings to the home of our enemies?

"But more importantly, this dragon told me of a way to take out the individual who may just be the cause of this whole war."

Gobber speaks up. "Wha...? How?"

"Tannski told me a weapon capable of harnessing lightning would be able to disperse dragon fusions. This Queen, who is the reason for the raiding, is a fusion of several large dragons."

"Well, why can't we just fight her off? With a few catapults-"

"Gobber," Stoick interrupts his friend. "This dragon is supposedly as big as our entire village. Catapults won't be enough."

I gasp. The Queen is that big? I thought she'd be large, but not big enough to crush our whole village with bodyweight alone.

But besides that. A fusion containing a Night Fury and something else. Human perhaps? Who is willing to lead our tribe to the nest in hopes of ending the war. To do so, he hints at a way to defeat the Queen with a lightning-infused weapon that Hiccup just happens to be working on in secret. Looks like Hiccup and I are going to have a little chat later.

My internal monologue is interrupted by a flock of dragons descending on the village. A raid has just begun.

* * *

**So Astrid now suspects Hiccup of the truth. but she cant confront him now, because a raid has begun.**

**Soulinvoker: Glad you enjoy the story, you seem to be the only one who enjoyed the previous chapter.**


	13. Fight fire with fire

**Not gonna lie, I'm quite proud of this one. I get to show off some of the magic Hiccup has learned. hope you like it.**

* * *

Dad just has just finished instructing Gobber and me to begin work on a lightning-infused weapon when the alarm begins ringing. The three of us run out of the forge to see a flock of dragons dive-bombing the houses and carrying off our sheep.

Dad turns to us. "You two need to stay here. You're the only two people on Berk who might have the skill to build the weapon." For once, I'm glad to obey my father's command to stay inside. I start by grabbing some dulled weapons and get to sharpening while Gobber prepares the forge.

Gobber tries to defuse the situation with some banter. "I'm surprised you're willing to stay in the forge. Usually, you exploit every opportunity to join the battle."

"Well, Dad just gave us this huge task and while I'm eager to flaunt the skills I've learned in dragon training, I'm going to do the unvikingly thing and do what he says for once." With our banter steadily flowing we get into the usual raid routine of slinging sarcastic remarks and fixing weapons. You could call it a casual Odin's day evening if not for one problem.

The dragons just will not shut up.

They aren't actually speaking per se, but the bloodlust they're emitting is very distracting.

_'Sea-p__rey__!'_

_'Mine!'_

_'Burn__,_ _two-legs big-horns!'_

_'I will gnaw on your arm-fat and chew on your cheek-meat if you get any closer!'_

_"Just shut the hel up!" _I mentally shout. This is a bad idea however as the presence of another mind tags onto me.

_'Found you.'_

The next thing I see is an ominous blue light that appears to be coming from above the forge. Then there's a stream of _blue_ fire that blocks the path, preventing other Vikings from getting near. The view of the window is covered by the head of a very familiar Monstrous Nightmare. It's the same one Toothless and I talked to on the way to the nest. Gobber quickly grabs his ax attachment, equipping it and running towards the blue Nightmare. While she is distracted, I run out the back door, knowing I am her target. Thinking fast, I project my mind towards the canyon. Toothless may be in trouble if the Queen has one of her elite dragons hunting me.

_"Toothless! A raid has just begun, and the blue Nightmare from before is after me!"_

Toothless doesn't take long to respond. _"I'm on my way! Run to the forest if you can!"_

Somehow I get a good distance from the forge before she sees me running away and gives chase. Due to her larger size she can't fit between the houses as well as I can. I take advantage of my smaller size by ducking into the most narrow of pathways so she can't follow directly behind me. Thinking quickly, I jump sideways into an alley, where I duck under one of the houses. Next, I quickly shimmy under three other houses. Good news is she thinks I'm still somewhere in the alley. Bad news, however, is that she's between me and the forest. I leave her thinking that I'm still in the alley while I make my way towards the food storage. More specifically, where I know a few eels caught this morning are stored.

Unfortunately, before I can get anywhere close to the storehouse, the blue Nightmare notices me and glides above my head. over overshooting me and flapping her wings frantically before hitting the ground hard directly in my path.

_'There you are.'_ She jumps forward, pinning me under her claw.

"Hiccup!" Before she can scoop me up and carry me away however, Astrid slams the blunt end of her ax into the dragon's shin. Astrid helps me up as the blue Monstrous Nightmare shrieks and begins hopping around, distracted by the sudden pain.

* * *

When the raid first gets underway, I begin my regular raid routine by pinpointing all the water sources and the best ways to reach them in various scenarios. Due to the surplus of Monstrous Nightmares on this particular raid, I begin a route through narrow passageways towards the nearest water barrel. Thankfully this one's on wheels, so I heft it up and, after finding where I can do the most good, head back down to the forge to quench the odd blue flames that were spewed by an unusual Monstrous Nightmare.

_'Found you.'_

When I hear, or rather, feel the drive of the blue Nightmare, I fear she's after me. But instead, her attention turns to the inside of the forge. Here, she (at least I think the Nightmare is a she) sticks her head in quickly and leaves just as swiftly. I'd do the same if I'd been faced with the dragon equivalent of Gobber. (I don't even want to think of what that would be.) But her attention changes when she glances to her left. It's then I see Hiccup running out of the forge with the Nightmare hot on his metaphorical tail. I continue to watch the chase (or blue Nightmare specifically since Hiccup is doing all he can to remain in tight alleyways.) When I see Hiccup crawl out from underneath one of the houses close to me I realize where he's going. Hiccup is trying to get his hands on an eel in hopes of deterring the Nightmare. Unfortunately, the dragon in question seems to realize his intentions and glides over him, blocking the road before pinning him under her foot.

Thinking quickly I heft my ax and slam the blunt end to her shin. The Nightmare retreats to the top of the storage building in question. "Are you all right?"

"Bruised but nothing more." I help him up as the Nightmare gets ready to breathe her special fire.

* * *

Thinking quickly, I alter the direction of the wind so the liquid fire goes back in the blue Nightmare's direction. Then I heft my ax and run like hell.

_'Where are you__,_ _Hiksti two-legs sharp-eyes?'_

Hiksti? Oh yeah, the name the Queen uses. But that doesn't matter, if she wants me, she'll have to take me down first. I jump out of my hiding spot onto the dragon's back.

_'There you are.'_ The Nightmare turns her head around to see me on her back, but doesn't get a chance to strike before I swing my ax in front of the approaching jaws. She hisses and draws her head back before I can hit her sensitive nose.

But she doesn't need to get closer. Instead, blue flames begin traveling down her neck toward me. I jump off her back well before the flames reach me, but I still feel the heat nonetheless.

Wait a minute! If she's doing what I think she's doing, well, I'll need to check and hope she's a braggart. _'So hot! How? Why blue?'_

Thankfully she is the bragging type. _'Talent. My soul fire burns hotter than any other.'_

So it's just as I suspected. It's going to be costly, but with her superior flames, it might be possible.

I start by conjuring some wind. It starts as a small breeze, but it doesn't stay that way as winds keep blowing onto the blue Nightmare. As I do this the heat gets more intense.

Unfortunately, it seems she's figured out what I'm trying to do. _'Burn me with my flames? Pathetic.' _I'm surprised when she starts adding more fuel to her flames. _'Need some help?'_

I project indignation but internally feel smug, she's even helping me fan her own pyre.

"What the-?" I glance behind me to see several Vikings and dragons watching our war of attrition. The stares burning into my back are almost as intense as the flames I'm using to try burning the dragon breed known for setting itself on fire.

I smirk when I feel she has stopped fueling her flames, but wince when I begin to hear her panicking thoughts. _'Hot, burning, stop, stop! STOP!' _

I can feel her pain. Not literally, she's simply projecting it in intense waves. I can't keep doing this.

_'Leave, take nothing with you.'_

She quickly agrees. _'Yes! Make it stop! It hurts!' _She lets out a pained cry, letting both humans and dragons know the intensity of the pain she's in.

Now that she has agreed to leave, instead of simply ending the monstrous gusts of wind, I try removing as much air around her as I can. The blue fire winks out as quickly as a snuffed candle flame. The remaining embers glow a normal orange before fading away.

Bad news is the intensity of the fire has completely ruined my night vision and left me with a splitting headache. From the sound of it, everyone behind me is suffering just as much. The blue Nightmare flees while I and the other Vikings ride out this migraine.

Wait. I just used magic in front of the village. This is bad. But before I can flee, Stoick hails me.

"Who are you?"

What? What's he talking about? I'm his so- wait! I look at my right hand. The ruby-red memory stone glows faintly in my palm. I put my hand up to my forehead and feel a second memory stone there.

I must have fused into Hiccstrid during the battle.

_"Whelp, I guess the jig is up."_

Before I can unfuse, I hear Toothless's voice on the edge of my consciousness. _"Hiccup? Is that you? Something's different."_

_"Or maybe not."_ I project in Toothless's direction. _"I'm currently Hiccstrid. When I whistle, snatch me and take me to the canyon."_ Now that my escape is assured, I face my half-father, who doesn't freak out about my having a memory stone. "It seems the Queen is marshaling her forces and sees the approaching threat." Several Vikings, mostly those who have not met Tannski, are baffled by me and my cryptic speech.

Stoick speaks up to clarify his suspicions. "Is that you, Tannski?"

"Yes, well, sort of. Fusion makes names and identities more frustrating than they have the right to be." I think three days should be enough time for things to calm enough for a civil conversation. "I should get going. Listen, meet me at the cliff's edge on Ravens Point at sunset in three days. I'll see you then." I then put my fingers in my mouth and whistle as sharply as I can. When I stop, the whistle continues.

"Night Fury!"

"Get down!"

As everyone crouches, waiting for the Night Fury's attack, I sling my ax to my side and hold my arms up. allowing Toothless to grab and carry me to the canyon. As soon as Toothless sets me down, I unfuse.

* * *

I look at Toothless, but he's busy looking at Astrid, who seems to be taking this better than I thought she would. I stare at Astrid, she is the only member of my village who might understand. If any of my plans are going to work, I need her on my side.

"So… I assume you have some questions?"

* * *

**So hiccup is going to have an awkward conversation soon, Next chapter we see how Astrid feels about Tannski.**

**7sky: I wanted to try a different approach, something novel, you know?**

**Papabearstv1: Goodnews, you got a bridge for that cliffhanger, bad news, theres a new one ahead.**

**Gabrielyalejandra. rengellopez****: Glad to know my story is well written, (credit goes to my editor) novelty is something I am trying to work on here. (the biggest example being the queen.) ****Me tomé la libertad de traducir su crítica al español. cualquier error es culpa del traductor de google. ****Me alegra saber que mi historia está bien escrita, (el crédito va para mi editor) la novedad es algo en lo que estoy tratando de trabajar aquí. (El mayor ejemplo es la reina).**

**Soulinvoker: and I am once again glad to hear it.**

**Eris: I intend to**

**TiGGs96: I am trying to keep to my pre-set rules.**


	14. Explanation

"I knew it," Astrid mutters, almost too quiet for me to hear.

"What?"

"I knew it. I knew you were)) Tannski!"

That catches me off guard. "Wait, you knew about Toothless this whole time?!"

"What? No. I had suspicions, ones that were fueled when I heard of Tannski. I should be yelling at you for sheltering a dragon the way you've been doing!" Astrid takes a moment to catch her breath. "But considering all I've learned over the past few weeks, I can somewhat understand. Still, though, could you please explain how this came about?"

I'm about to speak, but then I remember Astrid and I both have gems that can be used to transfer thoughts and ideas to one another. _"How about I just show you?"_ After Astrid nods in permission, I start to project the memory of when I met Toothless at Ravens Point about a month and a half ago. (Jeeze, has it really been that long?) But Toothless stops me.

_"This is our story, __let's __tell it together." _It takes me a moment to realize Toothless wants to fuse into Tannski.

I look at Astrid. But before I can ask her, she nods. "If fusing into Tannski will make telling the story easier, then do so."

She probably overheard Toothless. (I'm not used to talking to Toothless with others around.) I walk up to Toothless so we can form Tannski.

* * *

I stare down at Astrid, who looks up at me. I lie down on my stomach so it's easier to talk without towering over her.

"So…" Astrid pauses as if unsure what to say. "Why do you have four eyes?"

Her question is so unexpected I laugh at it. "I don't really know." I think of the Queen and her multiple sets of eyes. "Maybe cross-fusions like me can have an extra set of eyes or limbs. Don't know why, but the extra pair really come in handy." I rub my red hair, which is turning damp with nervous sweat. (How can I sweat? I have scales!) "Anyway, I think it's time we show you my story."

I begin by poking through Hiccup's memories and reconstructing an abridged version of the raid where Hiccup shot Toothless down. Making sure to include bits of how Hiccup was ridiculed for indirectly destroying parts of the village. Next, I rummage through Toothless's memory of when he was shot down, including a lovely internal monologue of the event. How Hiccup came across Toothless. (With Hiccup's own tongue understood now.) Toothless begging Hiccup to spare him. Hiccup doing so, then Toothless's opinion of Hiccup as a threat no dragon ever saw coming. Wanting to kill this threat but letting him go, it feeling like cowardice but telling himself it was the honorable thing to do. After that we get a bit of a time skip where Hiccup finds Toothless in the canyon we are currently resting in, showing the blossom of the forbidden friendship that gave birth to me. (I also project some music into the background for effect here.) I hear Astrid gasp when I reach the moment Hiccup puts his trust in Toothless's hands. (Paws? Talons? Not sure.) When I come into existence, it's a brief but beautiful moment. I feel joy reliving that particular memory. But soon enough that languishing moment of clarity is over when Hiccup and Toothless unfuse and begin to panic.

Astrid takes this moment to comment. "Okay, wow. So quick question: when you, or Hiccup, why did yo- he, tell the story where you two fused when you first met?"

I take time to look back on the memory. "It seemed the best way to make you believe Hiccup had not seen or been seeing Toothless since before that day. It was rather hectic as you already saw." Another thought came to me. "He also didn't want you thinking of him as a traitor. That he never intended to break an unspoken taboo. Frankly, he thinks quite highly of you. More so now that you are willing to listen to his side of the story. You're one of the few people whose opinion he takes seriously. Don't forget that."

Astrid just stares. It occurres to me what was just said. Before I can make the situation awkward, Astrid simply accepts the compliment. "Wow. I'm really flattered, Hiccup. I'm glad to have gotten the chance I have here. But there's more to the story isn't there?"

I sigh. "You're right. Its best we continue." I flash next to Hiccup arriving home, hearing the voices of the memory stones. Not in any kind of language, but more of a cacophony of ideas and opinions. One opinion drawing Hiccup closer, one that is willing to show Hiccup a few tricks. Before Hiccup can try to respond, Gobber knocks on the door. Astrid recognizes the night on the watchtower. (She also cringes at Hiccup's visualization of Snotlout's boasting. Which makes me smirk past my own cringe.) Then Gobber talks about targeting wings and tails and I provide a suitable distraction.

Astrid glares at me. "You mean to tell me you invoked that story on purpose?" Uh oh, she looks mad.

"I had to do something to distract everyone. The best way to do that was to get Gobber to tell one of his tales," I bluster. "Just focus on why I had Gobber use his signature torture technique."

Astrid calms down. So I begin to show her a montage of me constructing a fin to help Toothless fly again. Next, I show her our first flight together and subsequent fusion into Tannski; where we discover the tail had partially healed. After getting various measurements to construct the tailfin, Toothless speaks for the first time.

"I noticed earlier that Toothless projected words to me. Speaking of which, why in Frigg's name did you name the infernal lovechild of Thor and Hel Toothless?"

It takes me a moment to process what Astrid just said. "'Infernal lovechild of Thor and Hel?'" Once I understand what she just said, I start visualizing it. Then Astrid sees what I visualized.

The image I produce is so terrifying I come undone.

* * *

_"Astrid. What were you thinking?! Wait. What was I thinking?!"_ I fall to the ground and start dry heaving, too busy with that to use proper words. Toothless does some kind of dragon equivalent by dunking his whole head into the water. I can hear a muffled roaring coming from within the pond.

Then Astrid starts muttering something. "Hiccup. We need something mind-numbing to get that image out of our heads. Got anything?" This is the only time that Astrid looks genuinely desperate.

I rummage through my memories, particularly those of Gobber's and trader Johann's tall tales.

I'm able to find one of the more mind-numbing of Johann's tales about a group of barbarians that held him hostage. I project the story to Astrid and Toothless, who quickly calm down.

Astrid looks at me. "Sorry about what I said. I was just trying to make a joke."

Both Toothless and I know what she's talking about. "I'm good, but Toothless is not going to like it."

I look over to Toothless, whose glare is a mixture of revulsion and pity. _"What horrid things happened to your trickster god to construct such deities?"_

I look at Toothless. "I wish I knew, bud. I wish I knew."

It takes a few minutes before the three of us start to look a little less green around the gills. "Do you want to fuse back into Tannski or would you rather remain separate for the time being?".

I look at Toothless. "You all right with reforming Tannski?"

_"Sure. I no longer feel like I swallowed an eel."_

* * *

As soon as I'm back in one piece, I continue the story. I start with how I made him a new tailfin so we could fly as Tannski.

"You constructed and perfected an artificial tail in just two days?"

"I'm built of two amazing people, what of it?" She covers her mouth, suppressing a giggle. "Now, next I had to test Hiccup's creation." I provide an image of me flying for the first time. When Astrid watches this, her face has this look of sheer wonder.

"Could I maybe fly sometime? It looks fun."

I chuckle. "Fun doesn't even come close." I continue showing Astrid my first flight. When I get zapped by lightning, unfuse, fall, re-fuse, and swerve through the sea stacks. When Astrid sees me talk to the Terrors about my ability to go incorporeal, she just stares at me. Knowing what she's going to ask, I activate my shade, go four meters forward, and solidify right behind Astrid. Once my vision returns, I see her staring in slack-jawed amazement. "Glad I still managed to surprise you today."

Astrid, realizing what she must look like right now, quickly composes herself. "So that's where the name 'Shade Fury' comes from. But what about Tannski?"

"The rest you mostly know, so I'll just skip ahead to when I met the Queen."

Astrid freezes. "You met the Queen?"

"Let me show you." I make sure to include the conversation Hiccup and Toothless had before and during the trip to the nest. That way when I show Astrid the conversation between me and the Queen, she has context.

"So the Queen uses an existing religion to manipulate the dragons, eating the weak and saying they are being reborn. She also takes particularly strong dragons and fuses with them. Making the Queen a multi-fusion of the nest's most powerful dragons. Now that you exist, she can't have Toothless become part of her. So as you left the nest, you encountered the scouting party from Berk. Seeing an opportunity, you convinced Stoick to give you, a dragon-human fusion, a chance. Did I miss anything?"

I just stare at her. Is it just me or has Astrid become more long-winded? "Stoick was also promised a meeting with Tannski in three days."

"And then there's that," she huffs. While Astrid stares out at the pond, I unfuse and lay down behind her.

* * *

"Okay, so what do we do?" Astrid leans back against Toothless. I make sure to hold my tongue. I doubt she would appreciate a compliment about personal growth right now.

"I'm not sure. Toothless and I have three days to figure it out."

"You mean we." She looks straight into my eyes. "Whatever happens, even if you get chased out of the village, you have my full support. You got that?"

I've managed to turn one person to my side. "Thanks for that, Astrid. Maybe when we have some spare time, I'll take you on a proper flight."

Then, out of nowhere, she punches my shoulder. "That's for dragging me into this mess." In my confusion, I look at Toothless, who just shrugs. Then Astrid plants a quick peck on my cheek. "That's for dragging me into this mess." This time she says it softer, in an almost familial tone. She proceeds to stand up and stride for the canyon's exit.

_"I know you've tried explaining human mating habits to me, but after observing them in person, they make even less sense."_ I playfully punch his shoulder, he just stares at me now. _"I hope that punch was platonic."_

If I'd been drinking something, I'd have spat it out in laughter. "Purely platonic, bud. I should also head back. This raid ended early, so I might be able to get some more sleep." I hug Toothless around his neck. "Goodnight, bud."

Toothless hugs me back with his wings and forelimbs. _"Goodnight__,_ _Hiccup."_

* * *

**I know some people dont like these sort of chapters, but its something that had to heppen.**

**R37uy: Yeah, its a bit of a slow burn. we'll see Stormfly soon.**

**Sleepysaurus Rex: not really sure. I've got no plans at the moment.**

**Eris:thank you.**


	15. Meeting

**Not goanna lie, I had lots of trouble writing this one. hope you all like it.**

* * *

When Astrid and I get back to the village, we see that everyone is cleaning things up and heading for bed. We decide to do the same and split up. I ease the door open, hoping that I can get to my room without being seen. The gods are not with me tonight. Dad is slouched in his favorite chair and tending to the fire. Part of me wants to see if I can slip by unnoticed, but I feel I need to address the dragon in the room.

"So that was Tannski?" Dad turns to look at me and hesitantly nods.

I take a seat next to him. Usually, when dad stokes the fire in this manner, he gets rather contemplative. "Am I doing the right thing?" He asks.

Now I've gone through several practice conversations with Toothless to prepare myself for this one, so I begin with a question that is simple but loaded. "Which is more important: maintaining tradition, or moving forward?" Dad stares at me, probably not expecting something so philosophical.

Eventually, he responds, "I think it's best to remember tradition and learn from it. Especially when it's about mistakes of the past." He pokes one of the logs in the fire hard enough to make it break. "However, we must find ways to be better than our mothers and fathers. In other words, we respect them, but we don't let them rule our lives."

I smile when Dad finishes. "That's a good answer." I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. "I think Tannski is a bridge between humans and dragons that can stop this war without genocide." Dad looks me directly in the eye when I use the word genocide. "Some, maybe more than some, will want to burn that bridge, but it should be reinforced with mortar and stone. Plus if they are willing to, we could learn to fuse with dragons ourselves, building more bridges until you can't even see the gap the bridges are covering."

Dad just stares. "I think your metaphor got carried away, son."

I blush, but not from embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah it did." I stretch and make an overdramatic yawn. "Welp, I should get to bed."

Stoick picks up on it surprisingly. "Uh, yeah. Good. Good talk. I'll just head straight to bed then."

"Yeah, um, good night." I crawl right up the stairs. As soon as I'm in the clear I put my hands on my hips and release a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. _"That went well enough," _I project to nobody in particular. I nod to myself and get ready for bed.

I have plans to make.

. . . . .

The next day I meet up with Astrid before the village meeting. When it's time for said meeting, we add ourselves to the crowd heading for the great hall. All around us I hear mutterings of the mysterious woman with a dragon's gem in her forehead. I self-consciously adjust my helmet when I hear mention of my memory stone.

"Did you see that red(-)headed valkyrie take down that blue Monstrous Nightmare with its own fire? She was hot in more ways than one!" I look over my shoulder, where I see Snotlout and the twins chatting about the latest raid.

"I know, right!? Such destructive potential. But why did she let herself get carried off by a dragon?" Ruffnut wonders.

"Maybe she's an honorary dragon. It would explain the gem in her forehead. I wonder if we-"

Snotlout quickly interrupts Tuffnut. "As if; she must be controlling the dragons. That's why the Night Fury obeyed her." He starts strutting. "The moment she shows her face again, I'll get her to show us how she did it. She can't say-" I am pulled farther into the crowd by Astrid, who must be hearing the same thing as me.

_"Well, now I know how you feel whenever Snotlout tries to make a move on you," _I project to the shieldmaiden.

_"Yeah. Let's just get further away before he notices us."_ Astrid manages to get us farther away from Snotlout, but we run into a different problem.

"Hey, Hiccup! Did you see what happened last night?" Fishlegs makes his way towards us, sounding excited to talk about Hiccstrid.

I turn to the heavyset Viking. "You mean the red-headed individual with a gem in their forehead who blew the wind onto a Monstrous Nightmare like a bellows to the point where the dragon was cooked with its own fire?" When I offer my detailed review in a monotone voice, it makes Fishlegs pause.

"Y-yes." He quickly gets past the awkward moment. "How do you think she did it? Do you think she took the gem from a dragon or was she born with it? What's her relationship with the Night Fury? Are they friends? Does she ride a dragon? So many questions!"

Making up my mind, I decide to let everyone keep calling Hiccstrid 'she.' It'll put less suspicion on me at the very least. (If there is any to begin with.) "Whatever skill she has aside, it's clear she and my dad know each other." I decide to let something slip as Dad did use the name. "He called her 'Tannski,' it's clear she and my father have met before." That's all I can say without delving into private matters. "Let's hope he can provide an explanation." I lead Astrid and Fishlegs to one of the tables in the corner to stand on so we can see above the burley villagers.

Once everybody is in the hall, my father begins speaking. "Now I know many are curious about the events of the latest hunt for the dragon's nest and the events of last night's raid." Various people make sounds and gestures of acknowledgment. "Now the reason I asked those returning to keep quiet was so there would be no misunderstandings. But after last night's raid, those explanations are needed more than ever. Simply put, a human somehow managed to fuse with a dragon and is willing to lead us to the nest." Blunt and to the point. Just how Vikings like it.

Of course, there are various objections, questions, and slander. The last being pointed at the fight between Hiccstrid and the blue Monstrous Nightmare.

"The fusion names its mixed-breed Shade Fury, and calls itself Tannski. But while Tannski is willing to lead us to the nest, they warned us of something else." Stoick's voice manages to pierce the din of the mead hall. "According to this rogue fusion, residing in the nest is a cross fusion of several large dragons big enough to crush Berk with its bodyweight alone." Dad pauses, letting the reality of the situation sink in. Quiet descends upon the hall for only a moment before everyone starts talking at once- arguing, offering opinions, and generally panicking.

I'm not sure who, but someone's voice rises above the chatter. "So what? There's nothing we can do?"

"No, when Tannski told us of the Queen, as they call it, they said lightning is capable of breaking a fusion. Now, I'll ask Tannski about that when we meet-" Dad did not get to finish his sentence due to the arguing Vikings.

"You can't!"

"That's a bad idea, Stoick!"

"That traitor has no place here!" I do my best to remain composed when I hear that.

"Enough!" Dad's booming voice quiets everyone. "Now, we have an opportunity to finally flush out the dragons and stop the raids. In fact, I and the rest of the scouting party would not be here if this 'traitor' had not saved us!" The quiet is quickly replaced with mumbling. "Now, it pains me that we must work with the enemy, but this is an opportunity we can't waste. If what Tannski implied is true, then the Queen will add more dragons to its ghastly amalgamation until there's nothing any human in the archipelago can do to stop it." The picture Dad paints manages to scare even the most headstrong Vikings.

After a heavily pregnant pause, someone finally speaks up. "Even so, how do we harness lightning if this Tannski does not have an answer?" At least Spitelout is bringing up a good point.

I'm surprised when my dad provides a solution. "If Tannski can't provide an answer, then we'll send an envoy to the Berserker tribe, who have boasted of the ability to control the Skrill with its lightning breath." While some aren't completely convinced, most seem to accept Dad's answer.

"Good. Now, in the event Tannski agrees, they will be accepted as a guest with all the rights and regulations that come with guest-right." It's clear most aren't okay with this, but nobody complains out loud. Guest-right is one of those laws that takes priority over others. Once it's clear nobody will voice an outcry, Dad continues. "Now, I will begin telling the events of what happened during the scouting trip."

Once Dad gets started, I make my way out of the mead hall. So they are willing to tolerate Tannski, that's a good start. Now, how to break the ice to Dad that I'm Tannski.

_"Wait up."_ I turn around when I feel Astrid project those two words to me. _"Why aren't you staying?"_

_"I got all the information I need. Dad is willing to work with Tannski__,_ _but I still need to tell him my part. You heard what he thinks of Tannski, how do you think he'll react when he finds out Tannski is his son?"_

Astrid stops me, grabbing my left arm with her right hand. I feel her memory stone under her glove. "Even if every member of the village calls for your head, I'll be there to defend you." She lets go and I turn around to see her thumbing her covered gem. "I never did apologize, did I?" She sits down on the steps. "For the longest time, I treated you like a thorn in my side, a pest, something I would be better off without. But I never took the time to consider your side, how you are treated as a pest by nigh on every member of our village. So, while they are too proud to apologize, let me swallow my pride and do so for them." Astrid then takes a deep breath and mimics swallowing something, which makes me chuckle. "Hiccup, I'm sorry. For everything."

Before my mind can tell me it's improper, I embrace Astrid in a heartfelt hug. "None of that matters now, Astrid. I just want to end this war."

Before Astrid can respond, we both turn at the sound of sniffles behind us. "That was beautiful, Astrid," Fishlegs says. The twins and Snotlout are also there, but they are trying to remain composed.

I quickly stand. "How much of that did you hear?" I realize that, at some point, we swapped to verbal communication.

"(Sniff) something about you being treated like trash by everyone and the revelation that Astrid has feelings." I think the only reason she doesn't get punched was because it is Ruffnut who says that.

Snotlout changes the subject. "So what do you guys think of this Tannski fusion? Should we really trust her?"

Since Dad is willing to tolerate Tannski, I might as well address that particular thorn. "What makes you think Tannski is a woman? Stoick only referred to Tannski as 'them.'"

Snotlout looks at me with his usual smug expression. "I got a great view of her during the fight. She was wearing a shieldmaiden's leather-studded skirt."

I, and everyone else from the looks of it, are surprised when Snotlout brings up actual evidence. "How do you know it was not just a man's kilt? Hiccup has started wearing one recently." Fishlegs points out my choice of clothing. "And he doesn't look any less masculine."

My cousin briefly glances at me before returning his gaze to Fishlegs. "I'm sure of it. The skirt looked likeAstrids's. Very much likeAstrids's, actually." His gaze settles on the woman sitting next to me.

"Whatever gender Tannski is, we'll see them in three days." Astrid stands up and offers me her hand. "In the meantime, we should all prepare for their arrival." As Astrid helps me to my feet, Tuffnut says something that makes my blood run cold.

"What are you two hiding?" We both freeze and look at the male Thorson twin. "You two have been closer, even teaming up during training. In fact, both of you keep treating this whole Tannski thing like a private joke." Tuffnut stops, either to catch his breath or for a dramatic pause. (Maybe both.)

"Care to let us in?" Ruffnut asks before Tuffnut can continue.

He scowls at his twin. "Uh, kinda rude to interrupt me, don't you think?"

"You weren't speaking, moron. You just stood there waiting."

"It was a dramatic pause! You don't interrupt a man's dramatic pause."

"Maybe if you told me you were doing a dramatic pause I wouldn't have spoken up!"

"You don't tell someone you're doing a dramatic pause; it ruins the effect!"

"A hint would have been nice!"

"Oh yeah, like you provide hints to your dramatic pauses. Oh wait, you don't!"

Part of me is tempted to tell the twins to just shut up. Instead, I'll use the opportunity for what it is. _"Hey__, __Astrid, let's get out of here while they're distracted."_

Astrid provides a wordless affirmative. Both Fishlegs and Snotlout are too busy watching the twins argue over another pointless topic to notice when we slip away. As soon as we are out of range, we both dash into the forest.

"You know, normally I hate it when Ruff bickers with her brother, but considering what we narrowly avoided… yeah, I still don't like it."

I chuckle at her joke. "So what happens now?"

Astrid looks at me, then to the sky. "I believe you owe me a flight."

* * *

**So now the vikings are going to form an alliance with Tannski. That will certainly be an exciting chapter.**

**Stephen51991: Good to know.**

**7sky: I'm quite proud of that joke.**

**Wolf: I can't really go into detail without upping my rating from T to M. **

**R73uy: like I said before, I'm trying out a new avenue with the whole 'village finds out about Toothless' scene. I just hope its well recieved and I remain true to caracter.**

**Guest: here you go.**


	16. Romantic Flight

**Sorry for being so late, its been a rough few weeks. I hope you enjoy this iconic scene from the movie.**

* * *

Unfortunately, we have to wait until the afternoon before Hiccup can give me a ride on Toothless. Dragon training is being postponed until the whole Tannski debate is over. Hiccup finally gets a silver ingot from Stoick; now he can work on the Thunder Spear properly. Hiccup hasn't shown anyone else his designs yet save me, he wants to wait until Tannski's unveiling. Speaking of which…

"So how are you going to reveal to Stoick that you're Tannski?" Hiccup looks at me and I can't help but notice some soot on his forehead. It must have stuck to his sweat in the forge. "If I remember correctly, you've been wearing the kilt because it's more comfortable and less constraining than pants. Are you going to fuse with Toothless to form Tannski in front of the chief, or unfuse and appear half-naked?"

Hiccup blushes at my phrasing. "If you must know, I plan to wear a cape that will cover most of my torso. Hopefully, that'll prevent the chill from getting to me. But it's not my state of dress I'm worried about." He plucks a blade of grass, pinching it between his fingers. "I've managed to reveal that dragons may possibly be good, or willing to be team players at least, shown him that humans can fuse with dragons, and that there's a way to end the war once and for all. I don't think I can do anything else to lighten the load, but I'm still afraid of what Dad will do when he finds out I'm Tannski."

I consider his words. It's understandable. Such a bombshell will not be easy to accept. (I still consider it a miracle I did.) "I think you need to relax." I look up at the sky and notice it's getting close to afternoon. "Maybe you could take me on that flight we talked about?"

Hiccup looks at the sky. "Good idea." He stands up and offers me his hand, which I accept. I sling my ax over my shoulder and we make our way to Tannski's canyon.

* * *

I grin my signature smile when I see two-legs sharp-eyes Hiccup and two-legs short-fuse Astrid. _"Hey__,_ _Astrid, I wasn't expecting to see you today."_

Astrid smiles at my grin. "It's good to see you, Toothless."

I close my mouth and tilt my head when I sense… mirth?

_"What's so funny?"_ I project my query.

She smiles. "Your grin, this is the first time I've seen your namesake."

As soon as I understand the joke, I laugh, though its more of a chortle with the coughing, throaty sounds I produce. _"I was a little peeved when I found out what my name means, but now I can appreciate it."_ I pause, trying to answer a conundrum. _"By the way, what does your name mean?"_

She pauses, her forehead wrinkling in that cute way two-legs have when they're thinking hard. Finally she looks at me and shrugs. "I don't really know. My family never gave me a hideous name, at least not one I understand."

I consider her answer thoughtfully. _"__M__aybe your sire and dam did not want to anger you, you are rather short__-__tempered."_

Astrid just stares at me. "You've never even seen me angry though, so how would you know?"

My lips twitch upwards in the ghost of a smirk. _"When Hiccup provided memories of you, my impression of you became two-legs short-fuse."_

With almost perfect timing, Hiccup pulls my prosthetic out of an alcove, along with the saddle he made for unfused flights. "Care to carry a second passenger?"

Before I can respond, Astrid turns to face Hiccup. "What's this I hear about Toothless nicknaming me two-legs short-fuse?" When Hiccup hears Astrid use my draconic translation, he freezes and looks at me with a face of utter betrayal. Astrid narrows her eyes, tightening her fingers around the handle of her ax. Hiccup swallows hard- I can hear the sound over here- and starts to look panicked. Suddenly, she flings her ax aside and... _pounces_. He yelps in surprise, then starts laughing and squirming as she proceeds to tickle him.

I stare at Astrid playfully pinning Hiccup, I glance up at the sky and notice a faint orange coloring. _"If we are to go flying, we should do it soon, " _Astrid looks up, realizing that evening is upon us. I look between Hiccup and his romantic interest. _"You're in for a treat__,_ _Astrid."_ I squat down so Hiccup can sling the saddle on my back, then straighten up so he can fasten the buckles. After placing leather covers on the buckles, he stands back. _"All lies well." _Nodding, Hiccup puts on a special harness to attach himself to the saddle. He also provides a similar belt for Astrid to use.

Before Hiccup can get on, Astrid points out a small issue with Hiccup's clothing. "Hey, Hiccup, if you're going to be riding Toothless, don't you think you should wear pants?" Hiccup looks down, and it clicks in both our heads what Astrid means.

"Yeah, I should do that, excuse me." Hiccup quickly returns to the outcropping and collects a set of clothes. After changing behind a boulder he emerges dressed in padded leggings designed for riding. "Now that that's taken care of. " I can't help but notice a bit of a blush on his cheeks as he straps himself in. Astrid does the same behind Hiccup.

"All right, I'm ready," Astrid tells me as soon as she's properly fastened.

I chuckle. _"No__, no_ _you're not."_ Before she can question what I mean, we take off into the sky.

* * *

Toothless makes a beeline straight and fast into the sky. I hold onto Hiccup for dear life, eyes closed tight.

After what feels like hours, but is probably minutes, I feel Hiccup tap my hand, which I belatedly realize are wrapped tightly around his stomach. _"Astrid, you can let go now."_ As soon as I release my grip, he wheezes, gulping down great lungfuls of air. "Thank you, couldn't talk with you doing that."

Before I can comment, I notice the clouds. They're not just above us, but beside and even _below_ us. I tentatively reach out and touch… _nothing?_ The clouds, they're just fog! Really large bunches of it but they're still fog! I loosen my grip and reach out with both hands. As soon as both hands reach deeper into the cloud, I can feel an odd dampness forming on my skin, almost like dew. Or is it rain? Maybe dew is to fog as rain is to clouds? I chuckle at this, and it's here I notice a strange music. I quickly realize Hiccup is projecting some kind of melody to me.

"What are you doing?" He turns his head and I notice his gem is glowing faintly, probably due to the melody he's projecting.

"Simply giving this moment the ambiance it deserves." He looks at the clouds beneath us. "Check this out." He projects something to Toothless, who flies to the right, making his wing touch the cloud. When I look back, I see the cloud has curled in on itself like a wave. It even looks like water since the sun has completely set and the full moon is shining down.

It takes me a moment to realize the reason for a sudden chorus to Hiccup's melody. Up above us are the reflected lights of Valkyrie armor, lighting up the sky in greens, blues, and purples.

Toothless rises over the cloudbank and we come face to face with the statue of Thor.

I hear Hiccup's melody rise as we get a bird's, or rather, dragon's eye view of the village.

"Okay, I'll admit, I thought this would be pretty cool, but its more than that. It's amazing." I reach down and rub Toothless's side. _"You're amazing."_

_"Thanks__,_ _Astrid. You're not so bad yourself,"_ the black dragon projects to me.

I look up from Toothless to Hiccup. "You know, when I look at how things played out, had you not asked me for training, I'd have probably stalked you in my search for answers. Probably leading me to the canyon and an unpleasant welcome from Toothless." The dragon makes an odd gurgling sound that I realize a heartbeat later is his laugh. "Maybe me finding you would urge you to run away, or fly away, I suppose." I look down when Hiccup clutches my hand. I turn mine over to grasp his.

"You're probably right. But enough about hypotheticals, what-ifs, and if-onlys. I know from experience that they'll get you nowhere." He leans to the right, where I see the canyon. As soon as we touch down, Hiccup undoes his straps and dismounts, offering his hand to me. "Instead I'll do all I can to make my new dream come true."

"And what dream is this? End the war between Vikings and dragons? Or get everyone to accept you?"

He looks at me and there's a glint in his eyes. I feel I should know it, but I can't pinpoint the look. "Neither and both. I intend to create a utopia for all: human, dragon, it doesn't matter." It's now that I recognize what that glint is.

Ambition. Initiative. These things and more are what I feel coming off of Hiccup. I can feel him intentionally projecting the idea, as well as subconsciously radiating his new purpose in life.

While I'm glad Hiccup found a purpose, he still needs to get the rest of Berk on board.

"You ready for tomorrow?"

He faces me, and I see both his eyes and gem glowing faintly. I also notice Toothless behind him.

_"We are."_

* * *

I sit on a boulder at the edge of the cliff, the sun beginning its descent behind me. I'm sure my half-father is frustrated that Hiccup is not there with him. He doesn't know Hiccup's part just yet, but he will soon enough.

I look down at the carefully folded vest and tunic, my helmet sitting on top with my boots to the side. In the unlikely event dad doesn't recognize them, I'm sure he'll at least ask about the clothes.

But a quick sniff at my cauldron alerts me back to the stew. I've been preparing it all day for this meeting. I just hope dad waits before he asks where I got the cauldron.

I grab a wooden bowl and taste the stew. It's not the best fish stew I've ever had, but I figure I should provide something hospitable.

I continue to tend to the stew while my mind wanders. Hiccup told Astrid yesterday that what(-)ifs get us nowhere, but that doesn't stop us from thinking about them.

I distract myself by doing a hypothetical headcount. Dad is definitely going to be here. Either Gobber or Spitelout will be here, if not both. If Spitelout is here he'll probably bring Snotlout. There will also be representatives from each clan. Either the clan heads themselves or one other. Dad will probably also bring a guard. Gothi might come, but that's unlikely. In the event Astrid is not able to join the group, I've asked her to sneak here along a route I'd shown her earlier.

My train of thought is interrupted when the crunch of earth alerts me to the presence of the expected party. The first to step out of the foliage is Stoick, with Gobber and Spitelout trailing behind him. To my surprise, Gothi is with them. I scan the crowd for Astrid and am surprised again when all my fellow trainees trail behind the adults like a flock of faithful sheep. (I can also hear Snotlout muttering about Hiccup's absence under his breath.) That's everyone I immediately recognize, but I reach a headcount of fifteen before Stoick walks forward.

I face my half-father. "Hello, Stoick, would you and yours care for a bowl of stew?"

While several of the Berkians are surprised by my offering hospitality, my father appears to have expected it. "Me and mine will happily accept your hospitality, Tannski." I notice several of the Berkians debating with one another if a fire falls under the right of hospitality.

Before my dad can ask about bowls, I provide him with a stack. "I was expecting more of you, to be honest, so there's plenty to go around." I reach for the ladle and scoop a cup of stew, passing it to my father.

When he looks down, his attention is drawn to my clothes. "Where did you get that, Tannski?" His voice lowers an octave, a slight growl in his voice.

"Let me finish providing everyone with a bowl and I will show you the truth of the matter." Everyone in the party looks confused by my phrasing, but Astrid just smiles. She knows what's up.

Thankfully, my half-father is patient enough to provide everyone with a bowl of stew. But as soon as he's done, he looks straight at me. "Now tell me, Tannski, why do you have my son's clothes?" Those who had not noticed before are now looking at my folded garments.

I take a deep breath. I can do this, I can do this. "Look, Stoick, just know I've tried to lessen this blow as much as I can, but there's nothing more I can do. So, I think it's time we introduce ourselves properly."

I unfuse and hope things will be all right.

* * *

I stare at my father, who stares at me with shock written all over his face; I don't know what kind, though. I see flickers of fear and agitation, but also bewilderment and… awe?

"Hello, Dad, I'd like you to meet Toothless."

* * *

**Oh boy, so Stoick now has the whole truth laid out before him. How does he feel about that?**

**R37uy: sorry for a second cliffhanger, but the moment was right there and it fits really well. I'm glad you like what I'm doing with the twins, part of me is worried my versions are too out of character. but thain again because theyre crazy the things they say that are truth are taken for granted.**

**Wolf: Not gonna lie, the play by play thing is one of the more challenging things for me to write. glad you enjoy the world building, if you have any suggestions I can see if they can be implemented in some way. As for potential multi fusions, the fire worm queen is one such example, and maybe the screaming death as well.**

**hopefully the next chapter wont take as long to update.**


	17. Truth Unveiled

**Sorry this took so long to update, I've had a rough week after I got laid off from work. (What do you know? I have a legitimate excuse for once.) it would be of great help to me if those who read Shade Fury: Tannski would review and provide me with confidence.**

**This chapter has been a long time coming. I hope you find it believable.**

* * *

"Hello, Dad, I'd like you to meet Toothless."

My dad stumbles back a step, as though he's been shoved. (Though I've never seen someone successfully push my father back.)

It's a long and awkward… very awkward… moment, but this gives Toothless and me a chance to inspect the expressions of the villagers. So far, a few have turned to anger but they don't do anything; they remember this, admittedly, odd form of guest right is still guest right nonetheless. With all the rights, restrictions, and requirements that come with it. Our legends are telling enough about what happens when someone breaks guest right. I can't tell if the cold chill is from the icy glares or the fact I'm still half-naked. I just wait there with the chill until someone else breaks the soon to be literal ice.

I'm surprised when the first to speak is Tuffnut. "Well, that explains a lot."

Ruffnut continues where her brother left off. "But who was the lady from three days ago?"

Just like we planned, Astrid sets down her half-empty bowl and walks forward, theatrically removing her right glove. As soon as she is next to me, she shows the party of Vikings her palm. There are more mutterings about this turn of events.

Since people are no longer scared stiff, or at least of sound enough mind that they won't attack us, I speak up. "I know this will need some getting used to, please give me a moment to dress." I step to Toothless's side, who lifts his wing to hide me from the eyes of everyone.

I remove the cape covering the top half of my torso and unfold my green tunic. _"__Any __change?" _I project to Toothless and Astrid while I tie the strings around my neck and wrists.

Astrid tells me what she sees. _"Well, your dad is leaning against a tree. Gobber and Spitelout __are __talking with him. __They're_ _either consoling him or __it's __something political, though Gobber seems to be connecting __the __dots. Snotlout is trying to figure out how you could possibly be Tannski and __what __my connection_ _could be._ _The twins are connecting __the __dots like Gobber. Fishlegs is spluttering something to the rest, but I can't tell what."_

_"He's probably geeking out." _I lean against Toothless while I put on my boots. _"You getting anything__,_ _bud?" _

_"I'm not as good at reading expressions as you two are, but I can hear some of what they're saying."_ He pauses and I feel him turning his head. _"Your crazy instructor is telling your sire and uncle about instances where you seemed to disappear for the second half of the day. The sibling pair are doing the same, though they're much more thorough."_ I feel a jolt of surprise from my companion. _"The male even claims he tested your change in character using something called a trigger word. What's a trigger word?"_

It takes me a moment to remember back to when Dad's ship arrived. When Astrid and I were on the cliff, Tuffnut was going to call me useless so I'd pinned him. Was all that planned? If so, I'd deeply underestimated the twins. _"It's a word with significant meaning to an individual; often used to rile them up."_

_"I suppose that makes sense, certain ideas can have baggage attached to them. It makes sense that words have them as well. Oh, your father is done talking and is stepping forward."_ I slip on my vest, adjusting everything one last time before I step out from behind Toothless's wing. I make sure to wear my helmet in such a way that I have my gem in full view when I step out.

Before anybody can say anything, I start with a non sequitur. "Now that you've had time to process this, I assume you won't do anything rash?" Some of the Vikings look shocked by my phrasing, as though my father is prone to violent outbursts. (I mean, he is a Viking, so…)

My father pauses, takes a deep breath, and speaks. "Care to explain how and why you fused with a dragon?" He just stares at me, waiting.

"It's a long story. One I would prefer to tell the whole village at once, but would a brief summary suffice?"

Dad looks at the villagers who came with him. "For now, yes."

I take a moment to replay the memory in my head and compose my words. "It started when I shot the elusive Night Fury out of the midnight sky, " I gesture to Toothless, "and nobody believed me." It's simple, to the point, and makes my dad feel guilt for not believing me.

My father just stares at me, understanding my accomplishment. Various others remember that particular raid. I understand why they didn't believe me then. (I did indirectly cause some damage myself.) But I know for a fact guilt doesn't listen to logic.

"So, to prove myself, I went searching for the downed dragon. But when I found him, I couldn't bring myself to kill him. So I let him go." I pause to let those words sink in, but continue before anyone can think to start ridiculing me for my unViking behavior. "That was the best decision of my life."

There's a sudden buzz of conversation, most of it not complimentary I do not hear all of them, but I distinctly hear Snotlout say, "You traitor!" But to my surprise, _Tuffnut _punches him in the face and tells him to shut up.

Yeah, I'll definitely need to redefine my understanding of the twins after this.

Then Dad turns to the crowd in such a way that his back is not to me. "Quiet!" As soon as the last mutterings cease, he turns back to me. "Now, why didn't you kill this dragon when you found him?"

I briefly tense before responding. "You really want to know, Dad?" He nods. "All right, the reason I wouldn't kill him was because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him," I look up at Toothless, who looks down at me, "and saw myself."

I stay there, looking at Toothless and letting what I said sink in. Ultimately, though, it's Ruffnut who speaks up. "Okay, but how did you fuse with him?"

I turn my gaze to the female twin. "I'm not entirely sure how. After I let him go, he returned the favor. Days later we met again, that's when we fused into Tannski for the first time. Understandably we were confused and flighty, but we'd meet again several times to form Tannski, becoming closer. I learned more about dragons, and he learned our language."

Dad freezes and Spitelout speaks up. "You mean that dragon can understand what we're saying?"

I nod. "Dragons have their own way of communicating, but he learned our language while we were fused. You'd be surprised how much one can learn when fused." Some of the Vikings tense, realizing Toothless understands what their comments are. "But he's not the only one who learned a few tricks." Noticing my fire has dimmed somewhat, I add more wood and manipulate the wind to remove the ash and fan the existing flames. To make sure they understand what I'm doing is magic, I condense the ash from the fire into a gray brick the size of one of my fingers. Once it's solid enough it falls from the air into my hand.

Everyone stares in shock. I also hear Dad and several others whisper "magic," to themselves and each other. To complete my performance, I propel the ash brick with wind into a boulder. The Viking sitting on said boulder jumps when the stone is struck. It doesn't shatter per se, but there are spiderweb-like patterns across the boulder. Some shards fall away from the boulder. The Viking who had been sitting on said boulder picks up one of the shards, freshly broken with a fresh edge. He puts it down and looks for the ash brick, but it disintegrated when it made contact with the boulder.

"How did you do that?" Fishlegs asks, with excitement slowly taking the place of fear.

"And can you teach us?" The twins say in unison.

I look at the slack-jawed Vikings. "That is an example of what Astrid and I did on the raid three nights ago. What I've just shown you with the ash has been learned through trial and error. But I believe you need a memory stone to access the ability."

I'm not sure who says it, but someone in the back asks, "What's a memory stone?"

Realizing I used the wrong term, I gesture to my own memory stone. "The dragons' best translation for their gem is memory stone." Before anybody can ask why, I continue, "They call gems memory stones because their souls remain within them after death."

Several Vikings quickly put the pieces together. I also see Dad look at the fragments sewn onto his kilt. "You mean these gems are still alive and listening to us?" He asks.

I look up at Toothless. _"They can't physically hear you due to the fact they don't have ears anymore. The only way for them to talk to one another is by projecting and receiving ideas from other dragons."_ I repeat Toothless's words to them.

Fishlegs decides to bring up a good point. "What do you mean by 'projecting and receiving ideas?'"

I face my classmate and try to put dragon communication into words. "Dragons don't talk the way you or I do. They take their thoughts and 'project' them right into the mind or minds of nearby dragons." I can almost see the gears in his head turning, thinking of all the ways a gem can be used.

Ultimately he steadies himself with resolve. "Hiccup…" He pauses, either trying to find the words or muster the courage. "Could you maybe help me get a gem of my own?" He says this part quickly, as though he's afraid of the answer. Many of the Vikings, especially the elder members, blanch at his request.

But I notice the twins jump in on this. "Us too!"

"Yeah, show us!" The twins are excited, probably imagining the pranks they could pull if only they had memory stones.

I speak up before the crowd gets too rambunctious. "That will come in due time, but to come at all, a decision must be made." I look at my father, not as a parent, but the chief of our tribe. "Stoick Haddock, are you willing to try things from a new perspective? Working together with dragons, we can put an end to these raids. If we separate the Queen and her court, it will bring about an opportunity of peace between the two races. I'm not asking you and yours to forget the atrocities done. They've killed hundreds of us, and we've killed thousands of them. All to feed a monstrous fusion. A fusion, mind you, that lies to its subjects, convincing them to sacrifice their lives to her ever-hungry gullet." For theatrics, I reach my left hand back to Toothless. _"__Let's __fuse."_ He puts his forehead to my hand.

* * *

My clothes Hiccup had put on earlier slough away as I return. I hold my clawed hand out to Stoick. "Let's work together to stop these atrocities and prevent any more from suffering an unnecessary death."

I'm anxious, maybe fusing into Tannski is the wrong decision. But maybe coming into existence can appear as a sort of full disclosure. It seems that my worries are unfounded. My half-father just stares at me, awe and pride in his expression, with nary a hint of revulsion. With an unsteady resolve, he grabs my wrist in a manly handshake. (Normally his wrist is too big, but when fused, my wrist is the same size as his.) "I still have my doubts, but I'll try and give this alliance a chance." We shake once, and let go.

"So," I look down at the pot of stew, " so, anyone want seconds?"

* * *

**R37uy: I hope you found the chapter satisfying**

**While I have a few ideas on what the human fusions will look like, I've got nothing definite. Anything you provide will be of great help. Any kind words will also be greatly appreciated in this low point of my life. so review and Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out a lot sooner.**


	18. Stormfly

**Wow, I dont think my story has been so popular. I must say I'm touched.**

**I skipped the scene where Hiccup tells the whole village since that would just be a repeat of everything so far. long story short the village will tolerate Tannski. _For now._**

* * *

I step out of the great hall and sigh with relief. "That went better than I thought it would."

Astrid ducks under my wing and stands next to me. "I'm sure you imagined various ways that could have gone wrong. I'm surprised how well things turned out, all things considering."

"I'm surprised too. I was half expecting to have to use my shade to escape from there, flee Berk, and find a way to craft the Thunderspear without a proper forge." Astrid looks at her palm, probably wondering how she would fit into this plan. "Anyway, I should go unpack my things, we've got a busy day tomorrow."

Astrid pauses. "You honestly thought things would turn out so bad you packed in advance?"

"Yup." I unfold my wings and glide over to my house. Astrid yells something after me, but I don't wait for her this time. I reach for the latch and pause, noticing just how small the door is. I would have to crouch down in order to get inside. I keep forgetting how much bigger I am when I am Tannski. I stare at the door. It seems so unreal, even now. So much has happened in such a short amount of time.

I must have spaced out because all at once Astrid is at my side, panting. "What's wrong?" She asks after catching her breath.

"We did it," I say. Astrid doesn't seem to understand, however.

"What do you mean? Yes, we did get the village to accept- oh, I get it now." She looks up. "Want to go for a walk in the woods? Maybe visit the canyon?"

I consider it and decide to just sleep in the canyon tonight. "Sure. Would you like a ride?"

I squat down so Astrid and I are at eye level. Before she can realize what's going on, I scoop her up in my arms and take off.

Now, I've flown with Astrid before, but not with her carried in my forearms like this. "You comfortable?" I ask her.

She nods as I flap my wings to gain more altitude. "It's good enough." She takes time before continuing. I can tell she's trying to find the right words.

I suddenly realize that if any of the villagers were to look up, they would see a dragon carrying off a human. It would undo all the good that had been accomplished tonight. I quickly fly fast over the trees so this won't be a problem. "So let's go over the plan for tomorrow. We begin by pacifying the arena dragons and try to convince them to allow fusion with the trainees. Once they are willing to form bonds, we introduce each dragon to a trainee. Which dragon do you want to attempt to bond with?" I already have an idea which dragon Astrid wants to fuse with, but I'll wait for her to answer.

"Currently stuck between the Monstrous Nightmare and the Deadly Nadder."

This suggestion is not what I'd expected. "Really? You're considering fusing with a Monstrous Nightmare?"

"The setting oneself alight trick can come in handy during melee battles. I may even be able to wield burning weapons."

I pick up on the idea Astrid projects of herself fused with a Monstrous Nightmare. (I must say she looks great in red.) The image is of Astrid but covered in red spines and, interestingly enough, a pair of wings behind her arms with a second pair of hands she uses for stability. Then I see her facing off with a different dragon who I can only assume is an Astrid who decided to fuse with a Deadly Nadder. Nadder-Astrid is smaller than Nightmare-Astrid, but she is covered in sturdier spines that are probably venomous. The Deadly Nadder crown coming out of her hair makes her look like some sort of feral chieftess of the Bog Burglars. The difference in size doesn't make either of them any less terrifying.

Then the two hypothetical Astrid fusions begin to duel. The smaller Nadder-Astrid demonstrates the light(-)footed nature of the breed by dashing around and shooting quills at her counterpart. But Nightmare-Astrid does something brilliant when she plants her wings into the ground, almost using them like stilts, to lift herself off the ground and deliver a two-footed kick straight to Nadder-Astrid's center of gravity. This attack sends Nadder-Astrid tumbling backward. She eecovers and hisses in fury before taking off into the sky. Nightmare-Astrid is right behind her.

It's here in the sky the two Astrid fusions really strut their stuff. (I privately notice we're over the canyon, but I just circle it while I receive the battle Astrid is orchestrating.)

Nadder-Astrid shows just as much dexterity in the air as on the ground, if not more. Nightmare-Astrid, however, is also pretty terrifying in the sky. She actually sets herself alight and, using both her wings and burning scales, sends waves of fire at Nadder-Astrid. While none of the flames touch Nadder-Astrid, she's pretty bothered by the flames. Especially when the spines the throws get burned and blown aside before they ever make contact with Nightmare-Astrid. Nadder-Astrid throws several spines towards Nightmare-Astrid's face and, discreetly, shoots one lower, almost appearing to aim for her tail. Nightmare-Astrid, of course, sends a wave of fire at the spines aimed for her face and attempts to dodge the spine thrown at her tail. She twists out of the way and the spine just misses. It grazes her leg as it sails past her. An odd discoloration begins to spread from the slight scratch and I realize that this quill must have more than the usual amount of venom. I'm actually surprised to see it smoking. Smoke seeps from the wound as the poison eats away at flesh and muscle. The leg goes limp. If that quill had hit Nightmare-Astrid's tail as intended, it would have severely hampered her ability to fly. Nadder-Astrid gives a triumphant shriek as Nightmare-Astrid wobbles in the air. Dejectedly, Nightmare-Astrid comes in for a landing with Nadder-Astrid close behind. As soon as both dragons land, the projection ends.

"That was incredible, Astrid," I tell her as we settle down. "I can tell you've thought about this for a while."

Astrid blushes at my observation. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it for some time." She sits down on the boulder at the edge of the pond. "It's a given that the twins will fuse with the Zippleback. Snotlout will want something tough, like a Gronckle or Monstrous Nightmare, and Fishlegs will probably choose a dragon with a more passive nature, so either the Gronckle or Deadly Nadder. With the Zippleback and Gronckle guaranteed, I looked at the Deadly Nadder and Monstrous Nightmare. After seeing my imaginary duel, which dragon do you think I should try to bond with?"

I consider her question and play the faux battle in my head again, and notice which way Astrid appears to be leaning. "Try forming a bond with the Deadly Nadder first. If it doesn't feel right, you can ask the Monstrous Nightmare."

Astrid nods absently, but I can tell she's not really listening. "That sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"See you tomorrow."

* * *

I head for the mead hall as soon as I finish my morning exercises. I sit down with the rest of my age group (all save Hiccup that is) and jump into the conversation. "What have I missed?"

Fishlegs turns to me. He has this odd expression of… okay, I'm not sure how, but Fishlegs looks scared out of his wits but also just as equally excited. "We're talking about today's lesson that Hiccup plans to lead."

I look at him, "you mean Tannski?" I put my elbow on the table and lean on my hand in such a way as to show off the gem on my palm.

This doesn't go unnoticed, but Ruffnut ignores it to ask a question instead "What's the difference?"

I try to think of how I can put into words what fusion is like, but I draw a blank. "I can't really put it into words. You need to have fused, to have truly experienced bonding with another in such a matter to understand."

Fishlegs looks like he's about to wet himself. I can't tell if he's nervous or excited. Maybe both? "When you fuse, do you just... disappear?"

I consider my answer carefully. After having come so far, I don't want to inadvertently scare anyone away. "You don't disappear, not truly at least." I struggle to explain something that I, myself, am barely beginning to understand. "When you fuse, your old name is just the name for your mind, heart, or hand." I gesture to my palm so they know what I mean. "Does that make sense?"

Surprisingly, it's Snotlout who catches on the quickest. "I think I get it. It's like being a member of a family. Each of us has a role we try to fulfill."

"That's not the exact metaphor I'd been looking for, but it works just fine." That was much easier than I thought it would be.

Tuffnut scratches his head, somehow looking more confused than before. "But if it's like a clan, what does that make Hiccup and his dragon… crap, what's the dragon's name again?"

Ruffnut slaps the back of his head. "Hiccup called the dragon Toothless, you idiot."

"Yeah, anyway," Tuffnut continues, glaring at his sister and scooting a little farther away from her on the bench. "What kind of relationship does he have with Toothless? Is there any kind of social expectations or regulations that are required to fuse with someone?"

It takes me a moment to digest the fact Tuffnut used so many big words properly before I answer him. "I'm no expert, but dragon species, from what I've observed, can be classified on a scale. At the bottom, most small dragons treat fusion as an activity you can do with your friends or even acquaintances. At the top there are breeds like Hideous Zipplebacks that treat fusion like some sort of marriage. Most dragons are sandwiched in that scale somewhere."

It's after I'm done speaking that I hear the scratch of Fishlegs writing down everything I say. He continues writing for a bit until he realizes we're all staring at him now. "What? This is new territory for the book of dragons. I want to catch up as soon as possible."

I decide now might be the best time to head for the arena. Everyone follows as I stack my dishes next to the teetering pile of unwashed crockery and give a nod to the two unfortunates who have dishwashing duty this morning. We make our way outside and head for what might be the most difficult step in our education.

Luckily, when we all arrive at the arena, Tannski is already there with five (well, technically, six,) pacified dragons waiting in front of him. Gobber is outside the arena, trying to appear casual as he observes the scene.

I project a quick greeting to Tannski, which both he and the other dragons sense. He turns to us, but before we enter the arena, he speaks aloud. "Leave all weapons outside, we won't need them today." I proceed to drop my ax in a barrel at the gate and make sure everyone else follows my lead. Once we're all inside, Tannski holds his hand out to me. "Astrid, you already have a gem, so you get to choose whom to bond with first."

I look at the Deadly Nadder and Monstrous Nightmare (which are conveniently side by side.) At first, I'm not sure who to try and talk to first, but then I remember what Tannski told me last night. My decision made, I walk right up to the Deadly Nadder. _"Greetings, my name is Astrid."_

While the dragon does not speak any human tongue, she responds with her emotions. _'Hello__,_ _human, query, memory stone?'_

So she wants to know how I received my gem? Delighted to share the story, I project the memory of me saving Hiccup's life by pulling him out of harm's way and us accidentally fusing. She finds the circumstances quite amusing and chortles out loud. I've been around Toothless enough to know how dragons laugh, so I laugh along with her.

I reach out with my right hand, projecting a quick query. The Deadly Nadder pushes her snout into my hand and I feel the rough scales beneath my palm.

_"Query, do you have a name?"_ I ask her. Her response is to show me a Deadly Nadder flying through a . But despite the shifting winds, she flys elegantly, and even appears to be enjoying herself. Making up my mind, I ask her permission to give her a name in my own tongue. As soon as she agrees, I speak the name aloud. "How does Stormfly sound?"

_'Stormfly? Yes, my name is Stormfly.'_

* * *

**To any who are curious, in my story, the twin's madness is akin to that of king Bumi from Avatar: the last Airbender. there's a fine line between genius and madness. the twins like to play jump rope with that line.**

**R37uy: I'm glad you found it believable. not gonna lie, that chapter worried me.**

**Umbra Lycan: Thanks. I'm still looking though. glad you like the concept.**

**Jake: I know that. Like I said, I'm using a different approach. These dragons willingly throw themselves into the Queen's maw.**

**Eris: Like I said, the twins jump rope between genius and madness.**

**Guest: thanks.**

**Ryder: for now, Hiccstrid is non-binary. I'm not sure if that will change later but tha****ts what they are for now.**

**your support has been a great help. Please dont forget to review or PM me if you have any ideas or suggestions.**


	19. Stormborn part: 1

**I did not mean for this chapter to take so long. I've been having trouble writing chapters as of late. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please tell me in a review, I'm having serious trouble with the third act of the story.**

* * *

Tannski stands before us, garbed in the same cape and kilt he wore during the meeting. "Great job, everyone. You've taken the first step on the road to peace." I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I told him not to try and sound profound or poetic. But did he listen? Nooooo.

It doesn't help that the twins start laughing. "Road to peace? Seriously?"

The black cloud that forms in front of the twins molds into an irritated Tannski. "I'm trying to give this moment the gravitas it deserves." His second pair of eyes look up at the dragons briefly before focusing on the twins again. I can see that he's struggling to find a way to explain things in a way that they will understand. "Just think, the pranks you pull now will be tame in comparison to the ones you can pull fused with a dragon." To demonstrate, Tannski makes his arm go smoky, reaches through Tuffnut's stomach, and pulls a sword from somewhere. "Even if you don't get anything like my shade, you'll probably learn or craft new and nefarious ways of keeping the villagers on their toes." Tannski flips the blade and hands it back to Tuffnut. "So long as you don't seriously hurt someone, do what you do best."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut exchange identical evil grins. Tannski's demonstration of mischief excites them more than any speech about peace.

Next to me, Snotlout is staring down the Monstrous Nightmare and I can't help but think I dodged a bullet by choosing Stormfly. Tannski doesn't so much walk as glide over to his cousin. "Any trouble here, Snotlout?"

The hormonal Viking breaks eye contact to look at Tannski. "There's no problem here, Hiccup."

The fins on Tannski's head twitch. "My name is Tannski. You will address me as such while I'm here." Snotlout opens his mouth for a scathing retort, but changes his mind when Tannski gives him a sideways glare. (Having more than two eyes helps in the intimidation factor, apparently.)

Snotlout scowls and lapses into sullen silence. Tannski looks to the dragon, Hookfang, I think, and engages the Monstrous Nightmare in a conversation. After a long moment he blinks and looks down at Snotlout. "It's quite ironic, you've been paired with a dragon nearly as stubborn as you are." By the subtle glow of his memory stone, I can tell he told the Monstrous Nightmare something similar. Dragon and Viking release almost identical snorts and turn away from each other.

_'Strange, isn't it?' _Stormfly asks me. I look up at her.

_"The bonding? Or Tannski?"_ I ask Stormfly. She tilts her head, as though I should know what she meant.

_'Tannski. Unnatural. Cross fusion uncomfortable. Cross__-_species _fusion abominable.'_

I send a reprimand across our link, making Stormfly flinch away. _"Tannski may be new, but that does not make him an abomination."_

Stormfly tilts her head. _'Tannski not first cross fusion.'_

I shrug. _"You mean the Queen?"_

Stormfly projects a negative to me before continuing. _'Tannski not first two-leg dragon fusion.'_ She pauses long enough to gauge my reaction.

_"You mean __t__wo-legs sharp-ears?"_ My interest piques. _"What do you know of him?"_

Stormfly tilts her head. I feel her thoughts swirling and sliding together. _'Two-legs sharp-ears fused with dragon, took memory stones of fallen, forged into deadly two-leg weapons with power of dragons.'_

_'You're wrong!' _The Gronckle grumbles and interrupts our conversation. _'Two-legs sharp-ears gave dragons with unfinished business chance to fix problems. Only took willing memory stones. They only work for him.'_

While Stormfly and the Gronckle argue about the stories of two-legs sharp-ears, Fishlegs walks over to my side. "What's Meatlug doing? He looks rather incensed with the Nadder."

I chuckle but Fishlegs frowns, not getting the joke. It occurs to me that until they lay eggs or unless you can talk to them, the sexes are almost impossible to tell apart. "You do realize the Gronckle is a girl, right?"

Fishlegs gapes at me like a—well, like a fish. "How do you know?"

"You can hear it in the thoughts they project. It's hard to explain if you have no prior experience." I take a moment to think about it. "I suppose it could be seen as a combination of one's voice and scent. While highly unique, there are certain quirks that can tell you things like the age and gender of an individual."

I return my attention to Stormfly when she gives me the mental equivalent of a nudge. _'Query, let me out? Want to fly.'_

I shake my head sadly. _"You can't, the village might attack you, plus you may just fly back to the Queen. You're clever enough to try and fool me."_

Stormfly, slightly miffed, decides to just take it as a compliment and tries a different approach. _'Compromise, fly at night, you on my back.'_

I suppose that will work, and if she does try to escape, I can project a distress signal to Tannski. Plus this could be a great trust exercise. _"Very well, I'll sneak down here tonight so we can go flying."_

The level of excitement Stormfly projects is enough to catch all the other dragons' attention. Tannski turns to us. "What was that?"

"Stormfly is just excited," I tell him. He narrows both sets of eyes ever so slightly, but returns to lecturing Fishlegs. _"It's settled. I'll be back tonight. In the meantime, you need anything?"_

Stormfly lowers her head. _'Query, scratch behind spines? Itchy, irritating.'_

I chuckle as I scratch her behind her crown.

* * *

By the time the afternoon rolls around, my half-father has finished some quick construction on our house. (We have plenty of practice after all.)

As I make my way up to Hiccup's home, I can't help but feel the stares aimed at my back. But whenever I try to meet the accusing glares, they turn their eyes away. Some even squeak in fear and scuttle into their houses, especially if I look at them with my monocular set. I think it's because the Vikings associate my back set of eyes with Toothless and my front set with Hiccup. At least, I think that's why.

I'm brought out of my inner monologue when my half-father calls to me.

"Hey,… Son." I don't need a memory stone to sense he still has difficulty thinking of me as any sort of family member, much less his own progeny. "How was the class?"

I shrug in a very human manner to try and set him at ease. "So far nobody's attacking one another. I call that a win."

My half-father doesn't normally appreciate my wit, but he gives a weak chuckle in an attempt to bond. "Yup, I can attest to that. Vikings are horrible at trying anything new without attempting to kill it or each other."

I look up at the house, and its… new entrance. "It looks good." The new entrance in question is a door that's wider than it is tall. The way it operates should allow it to open up and give me somewhere to land. "Has it been properly tested? I'm not exactly a scrawny toothpick right now."

Stoick nods. "I had myself and three other… beefy Vikings stand on the platform. It should be able to hold your weight."

I nod and fly up until I'm hovering in front of the new door to my room. I pull a lever on the side, allowing the door to slide down like a drawbridge. But it stops when the back of the door lands on a beam next to the pivot that acts as a support that and prevents the door from going down any farther. Once it stops, I land on the ramp. It groans, but barely moves. I crouch down so I can squeeze into a room that, while able to accommodate me, still feels smaller than it used to.

I notice that next to my bed, there's a large, flat stone. I remember asking Stoick to find one, but I didn't think he'd find one so soon.

Stoick pulls a lever on the inside of the house, pulling the drawbridge up until it could just be one of the walls. "Nifty invention, I'm surprised you came up with it so quickly."

Has Stoic really not been paying attention to me all these years? I try to keep the hurt out of my voice when I reply. "I thought this up when I was a kid. It's just been collecting dust up until now."

Stoick raises an eyebrow. "Really? How long exactly?"

I blow a raspberry as I look back. "Years ago." I replay the memory, the gem doing its part to make it especially vivid. I see an eleven-year-old Hiccup sitting in his room to avoid Snotlout and the twins. In order to alleviate his boredom, he comes up with plans for a drawbridge that can be operated from both sides. It also has special cushions that prevent the bridge from slamming down and breaking. "Gobber and I made some adjustments but it has mostly stayed the same."

Stoick nods, but it's a terse one. I suspect he's trying to cope with all the new information. "How have I been so blind?"

He's just thinking out loud, but I answer him anyway. "Hiccup's talents aren't the sort appreciated by humans, but especially not by Vikings."

My half-father looks skeptical. "Why do you do that?"

I tilt my head. "Do what?" What's he asking?

"Why is it that you refer to Hiccup as though you're someone else? I understand there's also the dra- ahem, _Toothless_, but since Hiccup is part of who you are, why act like he's not you?"

I raise all four of my eyebrows at that statement. "I don't talk about Hiccup like he's someone else. He's simply a piece of who I am and not the whole." Something suddenly clicks in my mind and I realize why we are both acting this way. "Stoick, would you say you were a good father to Hiccup?"

Stoick deflates somewhat. "No. Absolutely not." Well, that was blunt. But it looks like half-dad's not done. "I was constantly putting the village first. No, that's the excuse I use." A film seems to cover Stoick's eyes. "I thought I failed. My wife was taken from me, and my son seemed too weak to make it in the world. I failed as a father before I got the chance to try, so I gave up." He clenches his head between his meaty hands, as though he's trying to not hear the truth. "I gave up, so I never even tried being a proper father to you." The large man I call my half-father falls to the ground, silently sobbing. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

I just stare at the puddle of a man as he lays out his sins for me to see. Part of me knows this is not entirely true. Memories flash in my mind of Stoick trying to bond with me in small ways, but they're few and far between.

* * *

"Dad?" When Stoick looks up at his unfused son, he simply freezes in place. "We've all got a lot on our minds and have been through much in the past few days. We should get some rest." I hold my human hand out and help my father to his feet. (Mind you he does most of the work.) "Dad, I am me, but I'm also part of Tannski. I know you're having trouble accepting this part of me, but the effort you're putting in makes me proud to call you my father."

Stoick stares at me and Toothless. "When this is all over, and the Queen is gone, how about we go on a fishing trip. Just the three of us? Two if you become Tannski, I suppose." We all chuckle, Toothless doing his hacking laugh with us.

"Let's do it." Dad smiles at me, but his joy is short-lived when the door downstairs is opened and we hear the footfalls of a water-logged Viking. A completely soaked Spitelout appears in the doorway to my room. I can hear the heavy downpour outside now. How did I not realize a storm this heavy blew in?

"We've got a problem!" Is he looking at me?

Stoick quickly puts on his raid face. "What is it? A raid?"

The black-haired Viking shakes his head. "I don't think so. I think the trainees went out for a flight. They're on dragonback in the middle of the storm!"

None of us immediately register what Spitelout says, but all three of us shout and/or project the same answer.

"Those _idiots!"_

* * *

**So here's part one of act 2's ending. I hope it seemed realistic.**

**Ranger Wheatley: Glad I got at lease one review last chapter, hopefully this one will get more.**

**if you have any ideas for act 3 of Shade Fury: Tannski, I'd like to hear them. see you for the end of act 2.**


	20. Stormborn part: 2

**I think its quite ironic, posing the end of act II on the same day I got the injury that led to me writing this story.**

When I agreed to let Stormfly out for a flight, I did not mean fly into a storm!

It doesn't help that I'm followed by my classmates. "We are not prepared for this!" Fishlegs shouts from Meatlug's back.

_'Confusion, why I come out here?!' _I'd chuckle at Stormfly's quip if not for the current situation.

How'd I get into this mess? Well…

_As I was sneaking back to the __arena_ _in order to keep my promise to Stormfly, I encountered the other members of the fire brigade._

_"What are you all doing out here?" I whisper-shout__ed__._

_"Same thing as you, going to see the dragons again." Ruffnut told me. __She narrowed her eyes as I tried not to fidget._ _"Unless you plan to do something more?"_

_The boys stare__d_ _at us. __Both twins always act like suck dorks that I sometimes forget that Ruffnut is pretty observant._ _"I was going to let Stormfly out to stretch her wings... and possibly ride on her back." _

_It looked like Fishlegs would nerd out, but Tuffnut covered his mouth. "Sounds fun. We'll join you."_

_I opened my mouth to order them to stay home, but then I glanced around. The twins looked defiant and Snotlout just smirked at me. Fishlegs looked confused. I sighed, not interested in arguing anymore._ _"All right, what's the worst that could happen?"_

Apparently, the worst that can happen is a storm appears out of nowhere and tosses the lot of us this way and that. Barf and Belch, the Zippleback, freaks out when an arc of lightning flashes nearby. The rain hitting us is so strong that even when Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang, tries to light itself, the rain keeps dousing the flames.

But those embers are enough to burn the rope Snotlout uses to hold onto Hookfang. Now he's stuck holding onto the spines along the dragon's back.

"Anybody got any spare rope?!" He shouts, but I can barely hear him. I look at Fishlegs, who used insane amounts of rope to tie himself to Meatlug. The downside is that due to the storm he's now stuck to his companion.

With the twins bickering, the Zippleback panicking, Fishlegs and Meatlug bound like a bale of hay, and Snotlout holding on to Hookfang for dear life, it seems that the only ones with a chance of getting themselves and everyone else out of this mess is me and Stormfly.

How are we gonna get out of this one?

* * *

I fuse back into Tannski and follow Spitelout outside. I keep my wings tucked in so I don't get blown away by the incredibly strong winds lashing our island.

"What have we got?" My dad asks Spitelout. For a minute, I envy him. I can't figure out whether to be angry or to freak out. Dad is perfectly calm, asking questions and figuring out the best response.

Spitelout has the keenest eyesight of anyone in the village. Even being fused into Tannski I can't make out much beyond some people riding a bunch of dragons. He studies the riders bouncing through the storm-tossed skies for several minutes before making his report

"Well, Fishlegs is tied up to that Gronckle. Ruffnut and Tuffnut are a bigger threat to the Hideous Zippleback they're riding than the storm if they keep bickering. My son keeps getting set on fire and soaked to the bone over and over. Astrid appears to be panicking but the Deadly Nadder she's riding seems to be the only mind up there with a level head right now."

"Thank you, Spitelout," I say before half-Dad has the chance to speak up. "Let me try and talk to them."

Spitelout tries to keep me down. "We can't let you fly up there! You'll be caught in the storm, too!"

I give him a deadpan stare and point to the gem on my forehead. "Telepathy, remember?" Spitelout quickly recovers from his fluster as I turn away from him and sit down; I focus my attention on Stormfly. _"Stormfly, it's Tannski."_

The distressed dragon notices my call. _'Tannski? Query, what should we do?'_

I don't take the time to appreciate that she's no longer scared of me. _"Astrid knows some wind manipulation, but she's not strong enough to help everyone land safely." _I quickly realize this is a golden opportunity. _"Stormfly, you may not like it, but you have to fuse with Astrid." _

Her mind goes through a roller coaster of emotions that basically summarize as: _'What?! I can't, improper.'_

I groan out loud. Doesn't she understand the situation she's in? _"You can feel guilty later. Right now it's fuse or die." _

I feel a third mind touch ours and am relieved to feel Astrid pushing her panic down. _"He's right. We need to fuse if we want to get out of here!" _Astrid's mind is still all over the place and I pick up on all her emotions. Luckily she has enough faculties under control to allow for fusion.

Stormfly squawks one last time, almost resigned to her fate. _'Very well. Two-legs short-fuse, fuse with me.'_

There's a bright flash of light, and it's not a bolt of lightning that makes it.

* * *

When the light clears away, it takes a moment for me to get my bearings straight. But once they do, I'm faced with a clarity I never felt when I was part of Hiccstrid. I take a look at the situation again. Fishlegs is tied to his dragon, Snotlout is wrestling for control and getting nowhere, and the twins are too busy arguing to try and get down.

Speaking of down, while the soft areas on the ground are few and far between, there are enough to get everyone down. I reach into my memory stone for the soul fire and draw upon my reserves. Still hovering there, I hold my right hand out. Spinning on the orange gem is a circular gust of wind. I glance at the village and notice a covered cart that is probably full of straw or hay. It's as good a landing as I can find right now.

Since Fishlegs and Meatlug are the only two small enough to land safely in it, I shout out to them. "Fishlegs, try and lower yourselves to the ground! The wind should soften your landing!" I basically repeat the instructions to Meatlug. I focus on creating an upwards gust in hopes of creating a softer landing. As the dragon and rider duo glide down, I'm surprised by a sudden gust that hits me hard enough for me to lose my focus. This causes the wind tunnel I'd made to destabilize and the wind to go back to normal. I panic as Fishlegs and Meatlug tumble into the village.

Luckily once they land on the intended cart, Fishlegs calls up to me. "I'm okay!" I let some of the tension drain from my shoulders, but it returns when the cart tips over and Meatlug rolls on top of Fishlegs. "Less okay," he calls up.

"Good enough," I say aloud and focus my attention on Snotlout and Hookfang. Considering the dragon keeps setting himself on fire and simultaneously getting doused, (plus I'm still frustrated at Snotlout,) I decide to have them land in a muddy field. "Snot! I'm going to alter the wind so you can land!"

"What?!" he calls out. Hookfang snorts and tries to light himself on fire again. I catch flashes of his thoughts and decide to ignore the volatile dragon's grumbling about the two-leg he's stuck with. Still, he was listening to my instructions and acknowledges the plan. Snotlout yelps as Hookfang abruptly changes direction, letting the wind ease his path to the ground.

I focus on creating a current of wind like I did with Fishlegs and Meatlug. Snotlout and Hookfang have a smoother landing than my first attempt, and I guffaw when Snotlout falls off Hookfang right into the mud. Even more when his attempts to get up have him slip and just get even more mud on him.

I calm myself down. There are still four to go. As I focus my attention on the Zippleback and the pests on its' back. Perhaps the best thing to do here will be to fly over to them and help as best I can. The group looks at me when I fly close. "Is that you, Astrid?!" Ruffnut shouts through the gale. "Or are we dead and you're a valkyrie here to take me to Valhalla and leave my brother to the sea?"

The only reason I know it's a joke is because I know my best friend so well. "It's me!" I shout out to them. "I'm going to create a windfall to direct you down!" But before I can create the path down, there's a flash of lightning behind me. It startles the Zippleback so much that Ruffnut and Tuffnut fall off the dragons' back! Thinking quickly I try to dive down but am not fast enough! Left with nothing else I pray to Freya that my aim is as good as it is in human form and shoot out several spines at the falling teenagers.

I sigh with relief when they both get pinned. Ruffnut gets pinned to a tree while Tuffnut gets pinned upside down to someone's hut. Now that that crisis has been solved, I look back up to the Zippleback. _'Shame, dropped two-leg children.'_ I think they let out a mournful trill, but the wind is still strong. I sigh and create one last gust to make landing easier on the both of us.

When I watch as, one after another, everyone gets unstuck and leads the dragons back to the arena. I hear heavy footsteps behind me. I turn and come face to face with Tannski. I note with a small corner of my mind that he's not towering over me anymore.

"I don't know what you were thinking when you flew into that storm!" I actually feel a shiver of fear when he speaks aloud and projects his frustration straight to my mind. He quickly softens and his frustration is slowly replaced with relief, and is that pride? "You manipulated the wind like a natural, and the way you brought everyone to safety? I was unsure how to get everyone out of that mess, but you did it like a natural." He put his paw on my shoulder in a gesture of comradery. "So, do you have a name for yourself? As a fusion I mean?"

I think about it. "Could you show me what I look like?" Tannski nods and projects an image of myself to me. I finally take the time to look at myself. My gem is a bright orange and I've got blue scales running across my arms and legs, anywhere hair would grow actually. On my head is a crown of horns that I can flex like quills. I have some trouble folding my wings in until I lift my arms and they fold neatly to my sides. With my wings out of the way, I turn around to look at my spine(-)covered tail. It remains mostly the same, just a bit longer considering the combined body weight. "This is incredible," I say to Tannski, who is beaming with pride. "Thank you for this." I walk forward and give him a hug.

He tenses and the emotions of fear, frustration, and pride he is emitting shatter, morphing into different thoughts and feelings. I detect embarassment and something else. His arms twitch like he isn't quite sure what to do with them. After a moment, I take pity on him and let go. "Well, (ahem) I'm glad you were able to get everyone down… um, what's your name?"

I look up to the sky as I think about it. "I think I'll call myself Stormborn. Fitting, don't you think?"

The ridges above Tannski's four eyes go up. "That's actually quite fitting."

Our conversation is interrupted when Stoick walks forward. "Astrid, er, I mean Stormborn, thank you for your help. We are one step closer to ending this war once and for all." The Vikings cheer after Stoick's proclamation. "Let's return to the arena and get out of this rain." I nod as he leads us back to the arena. As we return, however, everyone notices a member of the party is missing.

"Where is the Terrible Terror?" a muddy Snotlout asks.

* * *

**And thats the end of Act II. unfortunately I'm gonna have to go on a temporary hiatus while I figure out act III.**

**Pokedogpaw48:I'm glad you enjoy this story. do you have any suggestions?**

**Guest: Your'e definitely onto something.**

**Guest: glad you think so.**

**acplay: Glad you enjoy it. hopefully I'll figure out act III soon.**

**BlieDraken: You're welcome.**

**Please review. any kind of suggestions will help me update faster. Anything helps.**


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